Back to You
by EvenAngelsFall22
Summary: Sequel to Coming Home. What happens when Paige and Spinner get engaged? How does JT react?
1. Author's Note

Author's Note: As we all know by now, none of us own any of the Degrassi characters. Hey, I'm not even Canadian; I'm just lucky enough to get The N!  
  
Now this story is the sequel to Coming Home. I'm not going to say that you'll be horribly confused if you haven't read Coming Home, but I'm also not going to say not to read it. And really, I'd be oh-so-happy if you did read Coming Home if you haven't already!!  
  
So, what should you expect in this story? Here's a bit of a preview ~   
  
52% romance  
  
31% humor  
  
8% fun  
  
5% fights  
  
4% drama  
  
100% INTENSE!! (Sorry, I had to do it!!!)  
  
All right then, when we last left our favorites at Degrassi, Paige had made sure that Dean had finally gotten what he deserved, Spinner had asked Paige to marry him, and JT got... well, JT really didn't get what he was hoping for. Not yet, anyways.  
  
~*~ What happens when JT learns the happy news? ~*~  
  
~*~ How does everyone else react? ~*~  
  
~*~ Will Paige be able to settle back down in Canada? ~*~  
  
~*~ Will Spinner and Paige have their fairy-tale wedding? ~*~  
  
In my twisted world of Degrassi, who knows what could happen! Stay tuned!!  
  
Oh yeah, if anyone has any suggestions for a title for this story, let me know!! I'll give you the proper credit it my author' notes and maybe a cookie!!! 


	2. Letting It All Sink In

Author's Note: Well, I still don't own anything having to do with Degrassi. And as always, reviews and suggestions are always welcome!  
  
"What are you doing?" Spinner Mason turned and looked at the pretty blonde sitting next to him. "You're doing it again," he said accusingly.  
  
"Am not!" Paige Michalchuk giggled.  
  
"Yes you are!" Spinner laughed. "You're staring at your ring again."  
  
"You caught me," Paige admitted. "But I can't help it!" she protested. "It's so big that every time I move my hand the sun reflects off of it."  
  
"Yeah, if you're not careful that thing will blind you when you're driving," Spinner teased.  
  
"No doubt." Paige held her hand out again and admired her ring. "It is a gorgeous ring Spin." She couldn't believe it. A platinum band with a princess cut pink diamond.  
  
"Yeah, Hazel said you'd love it."  
  
"Hazel knew?" Paige shook her head. "That brat! She never said anything."  
  
"She was sworn to secrecy."  
  
"We'll see how long that lasts." Paige leaned back against Spinner's shoulder. "So what do you think everyone's going to say?" she asked.  
  
"Who cares?" Spinner asked mildly, kissing the side of her head. "They're all going to be happy for us. We do have to tell them soon though," he said. "You're right, Hazel won't stay quiet for long."  
  
"Right, and there's no way I can hide this ring from anyone, that's for sure," Paige said. "It was hard enough getting through breakfast this morning without mom seeing it."  
  
Spinner laughed. "We should probably tell our parents first. Maybe we can get them together tonight and tell them?"  
  
Paige nodded. "Why don't you and your parents come over for dinner tonight?" She looked up at Spinner and smiled. "This is crazy, you know that?" she asked softly. "We're engaged."  
  
"Are you having second thoughts?" Spinner asked.  
  
Paige shook her head forcefully. "Not at all," she insisted. "But you have to admit, this is really big Spin."  
  
"Well babe, I'm game if you are," Spinner said, wrapping his arms around her waist and leaning close so their noses touched. "What do you say?"  
  
Paige grinned and kissed him lightly. "Bring it on."  
  
A.N. There you go, chapter one, short and sweet...but no fear, I promise, the next chapters are longer and more exciting! 


	3. Us vs the Parents

Author's Note: Nope, still don't own Degrassi.  
  
Well, telling their parents hadn't been as easy as Paige and Spinner had expected. Both of their moms had cried and both dads had thrown accusations. Mr. Michalchuk accused Spinner of taking advantage of Paige's fragile state and Mr. Mason accused Paige of being pregnant. They had done their best to try to reassure their parents that neither was the case and they knew what they were doing. When it all came down to it, all 4 parents had agreed on one conclusion. Paige and Spinner were too young.  
  
Now, Paige and Spinner were sitting in her backyard, listening to their parents still arguing inside.  
  
"Do you think they even realize we came outside?" Paige asked.  
  
Spinner shrugged. "Paige, I'm so sorry for what my dad said. He shouldn't have said that."  
  
"It's okay," Paige said. "My dad should have kept his mouth closed too. And I can't believe our moms are crying."  
  
"Well, to be fair, we really did take them by surprise," Spinner pointed out. "I mean, we haven't even really dated in 5 years, and suddenly we're engaged?"  
  
Paige shook her head. "They still shouldn't be behaving this way," she insisted stubbornly.   
  
"Paige." Spinner put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "Give them time. After a few days they'll calm down and see that we know what we're doing."  
  
Paige was quiet for a moment before she smiled. "When did you get so smart?" she asked.  
  
"I've always been smart," he said smugly. "You just never paid attention."  
  
"Whatever!" Paige leaned in to kiss him when the back porch door opened.  
  
"There you 2 are!" Mrs. Michalchuk said, her hands on her hips. "Why did you just up and leave like that?"  
  
"Because you were all acting like idiots!" Paige said. "Throwing accusations and crying when all you should have done is told us how happy you are for us!"  
  
"Paige." Spinner's voice had a warning note in it. "Calm down," he mouthed to her. "Mom, dad, Mr. and Mrs. Michalchuk, Paige and I know that we took you guys by surprise tonight. Hey, I admit, even we're surprised by this. But we both know that this is what we want, and while I know all of you think it might not be the best idea, we'd really appreciate your support right now." He looked at Paige, who nodded in agreement.  
  
"You're so young though," Mrs. Michalchuk said. She stared at her daughter for a long moment. "This is what you really want?" she asked finally.  
  
Paige smiled and took Spinner's hand. "Yes Mom," she said. "This is what I really want."  
  
"Well then." She paused and swallowed hard. "Then that's all that matters to me." She smiled. "Come here." She held out her arms and hugged both Spinner and Paige.  
  
Mrs. Mason coughed and smiled too. "I have to admit, I always did think Gavin and Paige would end up together," she admitted. "Congratulations you two."  
  
"I can't believe you two!" Mr. Mason exploded. "There is no way you possible think this is a good idea!"  
  
"I have to agree, you kids are making a huge mistake," Mr. Michalchuk said. "One, you're way too young, to even comprehend what marriage is all about; and two, Paige has only been back in town for a month and I know you 2 haven't seen each other in years. How can you possibly think that this is what you both want?"  
  
"It's completely insane," Mr. Mason went on. "I'm sorry, but I will not accept this." He turned and walked away. Mr. Michalchuk stormed into the house, slamming the door behind him.  
  
Both mothers sighed simultaneously.  
  
"They're so alike," Mrs. Mason said. She turned to Spinner. "Gavin, maybe you should come home now and we can try and talk to your father."  
  
Spinner looked at Paige who nodded. "Go," she said. "I should probably try and talk to my dad too." She reached up and kissed him. "Call me tomorrow?"  
  
"First thing. Love you."  
  
"Love you too." Paige smiled and watched as they left. Then she turned to her mom. "What should I do?" she asked.  
  
Mrs. Michalchuk gave her another hug. "Let Dad cool down tonight, talk to him tomorrow. Don't worry, he's just not ready for his little girl to grow up."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Oh my God, Paige, that's so sweet! I had no idea Spinner was such a romantic!" Hazel said. It was later that night and Paige had just filled Hazel in on how Spinner had proposed and how telling their parents went.   
  
"Yeah well, I had no idea my best friend was able to keep such a huge secret from me," Paige said. "Seriously Haze, how did you managed to not tell me?"  
  
"You have no idea how hard it was. I was dying that whole day. I wanted to tell everyone, but I knew Spinner would kill me."  
  
"I wonder if everyone's going to react like my parents did," Paige said. "I mean, what if everyone thinks we're too young and too stupid for this?"  
  
"Paige calm down, everyone's going to be so happy and excited for you." Hazel hesitated. "Well, everyone but one person anyways."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"JT."  
  
"JT." Paige closed her eyes. "Haze, I never even thought about how JT is going to feel about this. He's going to hate me."  
  
"He's not going to hate you."  
  
"Yes he is." Paige sighed. "When he left, he had no idea I was even planning on staying here in town. He thought I'd be leaving shortly after he got back from his trip. How is this going to look to him? I told him I wasn't ready to date either him or Spin seriously and all of sudden a week later he comes back and I'm engaged to Spinner? He's going to think I lied to him!"  
  
"You'll just have to explain to him," Hazel said. "He'll be disappointed and hurt yeah, but he still loves you as a friend and will accept things. JT wants you to be happy."  
  
"Maybe," Paige said doubtfully. She yawned. "I should let you go though, I'm getting tired and I need to get some sleep, I have to be up early tomorrow."  
  
"All right, you wanna meet for lunch?"  
  
"Yeah, I'd like that."  
  
"Great. Oh and Paige, congratulations again!"  
  
"Thanks Haze. Good night." Paige put the phone down and crawled into bed. She was almost asleep when she heard something outside her bedroom window.   
  
"Spinner? What are you doing?" she whispered, opening the window.  
  
Spinner grinned. "I couldn't sleep," he said. "I figured you wouldn't be sleeping either?" He crawled into her bedroom.  
  
"Shh!" Paige giggled and kissed him. "Dad will not be happy if he finds you in here."   
  
'Then I'll be quiet and stuff. Did you talk to your dad again?"  
  
Paige shook her head. "No, but Mom's working on it. How about your dad?" She sat back down on her bed and Spinner sat next to her.  
  
"I talked to him, but he didn't listen." Spinner shrugged. "They'll come around eventually." He smiled at her. "You look cute in pajamas."  
  
"Shush," Paige said, hitting him playfully. Her smile faded. "You know what Hazel brought up tonight?" she asked softly.  
  
"What/"  
  
"JT." Paige looked at him. "Spin, if JT finds out about us by anyone but me, it's not going to be good. I don't even think he's going to be okay if I tell him."  
  
"Yeah, this is going to be rough on him," Spinner said, but his tone of voice wasn't exactly heartfelt.  
  
Paige glared at him. "Spin, look at it this way. What if you had been the one to go away for a week and come back home and find out that I was engaged to JT?"  
  
Spinner's face darkened. "You're right, I'd probably kill the kid." He smiled at Paige's expression before pulling her down so they were lying on the bed. "Paige, yeah, I'm not going to lie, JT's not going to be happy. But the three of us will just have to learn how to get along with each other. I mean, both him and I knew that there was no way you wouldn't be able to be with both of us. Eventually, you had to choose one."  
  
Paige rested her head on his chest. "I know, but I'm still scared he's going to hate me."  
  
"Trust me babe," Spinner said, kissing her forehead. :"There's no way he could hate you."   
  
Paige laughed. "You're right, he's going to hate you though." She smiled and reached up to kiss him. "So are you gonna stay with me til I fall asleep?" she asked.  
  
"You mean I have to let you go to sleep?" They kissed again. "Because that's not what I had planned for tonight."  
  
"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint, but that's exactly what I mean." Paige snuggled closer to him. "G'night hon."  
  
"Night." Spinner stroked her hair and waited until she fell asleep before leaving through the window he came in through. 


	4. JT Finds Out

Author's note~ Yay! Back with an update! As usual though, I don't own the Degrassi characters. (And also, I just re-watched Shout, She-Bop, and How Soon is Now, so I might be adding some drama sooner than originally planned here.)  
  
  
  
Paige walked up the front steps of the house and hesitated before reaching up to knock on the front door. She waited.  
  
The door opened and JT appeared in the sunlight. "Paige! I didn't know you were still in town!"  
  
Paige smiled. "Hey JT, Did you have a nice trip?"  
  
"Yeah it was great, we got some excellent ideas for a new videogame." JT motioned to the porch swing and they sat down. "So what's up? How are you?"  
  
"I'm good,"" she answered. "I have some news though. I'm not going back to New York after all. I'm staying here." She bit her lip when she saw JT's face brighten.  
  
"Paige, that's awesome! What made you decide to stay?"  
  
"Well, that's the other part of my news." She paused and looked at him for a moment. "JT."  
  
"What?" JT laughed. "Are you going to tell me you're marrying Spinner or something?" He nudged her arm when she didn't say anything. "Paige, it was a joke. Come on, tell me why you're staying."  
  
Paige looked down at her feet. "I'm marrying Spinner," she said softly. She looked up at JT. "JT, I'm sorry, I know that before you left for BC I said that I needed time to myself before I started dating anyone again, but-"  
  
"But you realized how much you loved Spinner and how you're always going to love him and he asked and you said yes?" JT finished for her.  
  
"Something like that," Paige said honestly. "I understand if you're upset with me, and I wish there was something I could say to-"  
  
"Paige, it's okay," JT said, interrupting her again. "I mean, yeah I'm upset, but it's not like I'm really surprised about this. I'm not stupid, I know that the connection between you and him was always going to be stronger than anything you and I would have had."  
  
"JT, listen to me. You were the first person I ran into when I came back to town, and you have done so much for me during the whole Dean thing. Honestly, you were there for me more than anyone else and I'm never going to be able to let you know just how much I appreciate it. I mean it Hon, you're one of my best friends, and I still want you to be part of my life."  
  
"Friend." JT smiled sadly. After a moment he smiled again. "We're okay Paige," he said honestly. "I'll be fine. And, I don't want to lose you as a friend either. Now that I'm taller than you and all, it's a lot more fun being your friend and nor having you call me Little Man or Shortie."  
  
Paige laughed. "I'll come up with a better nickname," she promised. She looked at her watch. "But I have to get going," she said. "I have a job interview and am meeting Hazel for lunch."  
  
"Okay." He stood up with her. "So, can we hang out sometime, or will Spinner get mad?" He asked, grinning.  
  
"Of course we're going to hang out!" Paige said. "You're not going to get rid of me anytime soon." She hugged him. "Give me a call later this week."  
  
"I will." JT watched as she walked away. His smile faded as she proceeded farther and farther down the road. He had always known he didn't really have a chance with her, but now it was completely clear. Paige was gone and he was never going to have her now. 


	5. The Honeymoon's Over

Author's Note ~ I do not own anything Degrassi.   
  
"Spin, I'm home!" An empty apartment greeted Paige. "All right then," she said to herself, dropping her car keys on the table. She picked up the note that Spinner had left her. He had gone to play basketball with Jimmy and would be home in time for dinner.  
  
Home. It still sounded weird to her. It had been 2 months since she and Spinner had gotten engaged and almost 2 weeks since she had moved into his apartment.   
  
The apartment however, still didn't feel like hers. In fact, as Paige walked into the bedroom and tripped over a set of weights she realized that the apartment somewhat scared her.   
  
Spinner was a slob. She had always known this, but until she moved in, she hadn't realized just how big of a slob he was. Not that Paige was a neat freak or anything, but she did like to have things organized and well, some of the things Spinner overlooked were just plain common sense.  
  
Like not leaving wet towels on the bathroom floor. Or leaving the milk out on the counter all day. And not putting dirty clothes in the laundry basket, but rather, leaving them wherever they happened to land after he took them off.   
  
All of these things were slowly driving Paige insane. She had asked him several times to pick up after himself, and he was trying. He would be great for a day or 2, but he always ended up back in his bad habits.   
  
She sighed and scooped up an armful of his clothes and threw them in the laundry basket. She changed out of her work clothes and threw on a pair of jeans and a tank top. Paige had gotten a job at Fuse, introducing videos in the afternoon, and today some of the producers had talked to her about creating her own show.   
  
An hour later Paige was almost done cleaning the bedroom when she heard the front door open and Spinner calling to her.  
  
"There you are!" he said, coming into the bedroom. "How's my gorgeous girl?" He asked, picking her up in a big bear hug and falling onto the bed with her. "I watched you on TV today," he said. "I had to take an extra long lunch break, but I wasn't going to miss your first solo afternoon."  
  
Paige laughed and tried to sit up but he held her down. "Did you get in trouble?"  
  
"Nope. My boss did catch me watching though. But he said you were cute so it was okay." He grinned and kissed her.  
  
"Good. How was basketball?"   
  
"Hah! I kicked Jimmy's butt, and what made it so great was that his whole junior high team was watching us play."  
  
"Nice." Paige squirmed away before Spinner could kiss her again. "Why don't you go take a shower, and I'll order in Chinese or something for tonight?" she suggested.  
  
"Sounds good. Wanna join me?"   
  
Paige shook her head. "Not a chance Hon." She pushed him off the bed and watched him walk into the bathroom. Soon she heard the water running. She picked up the phone and ordered their dinner and then lay there and stared out the window.   
  
Rolling over in bed, Paige turned her focus over to the bathroom door. The thought of Spinner in the shower danced through her head quickly but she pushed that thought away. She and Spinner had been engaged for a while now, and living together nearly as long as that, but they still hadn't slept together. Sure, they slept in the same bed every night, but they hadn't actually had sex yet. Ever. Spinner said he didn't care, that he could wait until Paige was ready and he was in no way going to push her into anything she didn't want to do, but Paige still felt guilty. She loved him with her whole heart and wanted nothing more than to be with him, but so far, she hadn't been able to bring herself to do it.   
  
Spinner came out of the bathroom with a towel draped around his waist. "Oh, sorry, I didn't know you were still in here Babe," he said, reaching for his robe.  
  
Paige smiled. "It's alright," she said softly. She motioned for her to come closer to the bed. "Now that you're not all gross and sweaty I can give you that welcome home kiss," she said, reaching up to kiss him. She pulled him down onto the bed and soon they were lost in their own little world. Spinner almost had Paige's clothes off when they were both startled by the doorbell.  
  
"Who the hell?" Spinner muttered, jumping slightly.  
  
Paige sighed. "Chinese takeout guy," she said. "Great timing too."  
  
"The best." Spinner got up, dressed, and went to answer the door.   
  
Paige sat there for a moment. She then got up and followed him out to the living room.   
  
"Want to watch a movie while we eat?" Spinner asked.   
  
"Sure," Paige grabbed 2 plates from the kitchen and joined him on the living room sofa.   
  
"Where's the sesame chicken?" Spinner asked, looking in all of the containers.  
  
"Oh, I didn't order any."  
  
"You didn't? That's my favorite Paige."  
  
"I'm sorry, I forgot." Paige turned the TV on. "Have the orange chicken instead, it's basically the same."  
  
"It's hardly the same," Spinner said stubbornly. "I can't believe you didn't get sesame chicken."  
  
Paige sighed loudly. "You didn't offer me any suggestions on what to order, did you?" she asked. "I didn't think so, so stop complaining and eat."  
  
"Fine." Spinner picked up the remote control that was sitting between them and turned the channel to a soccer game.  
  
"What did you do that for?" Paige asked, taking the remote from his hand. "Maybe I wanted to watch the other channel."  
  
"I'm sorry Paige, there's no way I'm watching reruns of the Golden Girls while I eat. I can't do it." Spinner put the soccer game back on.  
  
"And there's no way I want to watch soccer!" Paige protested. She tried to grab the remote again but Spinner held it out of her reach. "Spinner!"  
  
Spinner finally relented. "Fine," he said. "No soccer. But no Golden Girls either. I'm just going to put a random channel on and we're going to watch it, deal?"  
  
"Deal," Paige said pouting. Spinner clicked the remote and suddenly they were watching very old episodes of Saved by the Bell.  
  
Spinner swore under his breath and Paige laughed. "Your rules," she said, sticking her tongue out at him. They finished their dinner in almost complete silence.  
  
Paige headed for the bedroom to get a blanket because she was cold and tripped over Spinner's weight set again. "Damn it Spin! Why do you insist on dropping these stupid things in the stupid doorway?"  
  
"Because your shoes take up the place they used to sit in the closet." Spinner was tired of Paige's whining that the apartment wasn't sparkling clean. So he was a little unorganized, she didn't need to throw it in his face every other second.  
  
And just like that, Paige and Spinner ended up in their first fight since their engagement, And as usual, it was a pointless fight that neither would back down from and ended with Paige storming out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her.  
  
Paige wasn't aware of where she was going until she was already there. Sighing, she knocked on the door and waited.  
  
"Paige, you're the last person I was expecting, what's up?"  
  
"Hey JT, can I come in?" 


	6. Even Angels Fall

Author's Note ~ Thanks everyone for your constant support and reviews and criticism! I appreciate it all! And while it may not seem as though I know where this story is going, trust me, I know exactly what's going to happen!  
  
And yes, I own Degrassi now. Okay, so I don't. Sue me. You can have everything but my John Mayer cds :P   
  
"So why did you and Spinner fight?" JT asked. Paige had just finished telling him about her evening.  
  
"I don't know!" Paige said, throwing her hands up in the air. "We never have good reasons for fighting. I just know I had to get out of that apartment and so I left." She looked around her. "I don't know why I came over here though." She admitted.  
  
"Gee thanks."  
  
Paige laughed. "I didn't mean it like that goofball." She smiled at him sadly. "You don't call me anymore JT."  
  
JT looked away uncomfortably. "I've been busy," he said lamely.  
  
"Busy avoiding me," she said. "Is it selfish of me to want to still be friends and hang out with you and everything?" she asked.  
  
JT shook his head. "Not at all. But it is selfish of me to want to hang out with just you and not you and Spinner." He looked down. "I'm trying Paige, I really am."  
  
Paige put her hand on his arm. "I know you are," she said. She smiled again. "And it's probably better that you and me hang out rather than you me and Spinner. I can only imagine what the 2 of you would do to each other."  
  
JT laughed. "It wouldn't be good, you're right." He looked up at her and as always, was taken away by how beautiful she looked. 'Don't do it' he told himself firmly.  
  
He didn't listen. "Paige, I hate to ask this, but I have to know." 'Shut up, shut up now!' the voice was still talking in his head.  
  
"Ask what JT?" Paige asked.  
  
'Don't do it. It will only make things worse.' "If Spinner had never come back into the picture, would you have given me a chance? A real chance to show you how much I care about you?" The words came out too fast for JT to stop them.  
  
Paige's eyes widened briefly and she didn't know what to say. "JT-"  
  
"I'm sorry," he said quickly. And then he changed his mind. "I take that back, I'm not sorry. Paige, I'm trying to accept that you're with Spinner but I can't. I can't believe that you're completely happy with him and that he can make you happier than I can. I won't believe that you don't think the same things and I won't believe that you haven't wondered what it would be like if you and I were engaged and not you and Spinner."  
  
And before Paige could say anything back to him, JT was kissing her. And despite her, Paige found herself kissing him back. They clung to each other, almost desperately, and the kiss was unlike any other kiss Paige had ever been a part of. Kissing JT was totally different from kissing Spinner and she felt something she had never felt before.  
  
And then the realization of what she was doing hit her and Paige pushed JT away. Hard. She stood up, tears forming in her eyes over what she had just done,  
  
"I have to go," she said, picking up her purse and heading for the door. JT tried to stop her, but she didn't pay any attention to him. She ran out of the house and got into her car and drove away.  
  
Soon she was back in front of her and Spinner's apartment. She could see him in the window, pacing back and forth. She knew she couldn't go upstairs until she had stopped crying, but she couldn't get the tears to stop.   
  
How could she let JT kiss her? And how could she kiss him back? How could she do that to Spinner when he had never done anything like this to her, and would never even dream of doing it either? She took a few deep ragged breaths, trying to calm herself down and look at things logically.   
  
Was she hiding feelings for JT? Or was she just caught up in the kiss? No, she told herself firmly. She was in love with Spinner. She was always in love with Spinner and that wasn't going to change because of one stupid mistake, one stupid kiss.  
  
But it wasn't a stupid kiss. In her heart, she knew that. She also knew that she could never tell Spinner it happened.  
  
Finally, she was able to go upstairs. She opened the door slowly. "Spin?"  
  
"Hey, you're back!" He smiled at her. "I've been waiting for you. Come see what I did." He took her hand and dragged her all over the apartment.  
  
Paige smiled at him. "You cleaned the apartment?" she asked.  
  
He shrugged. "You were right, sometimes, I am a slob. But I'm going to try harder from now on to keep this place neater." He looked down at his feet. "And I'm sorry for getting so upset over something as stupid as dinner," he added. "I was an idiot."  
  
"Yeah, you were," Paige agreed, wrapping her arms around his neck. "But you're my idiot." She reached up and kissed him. "And I'm sorry for overreacting to the mess, and for running out like I did."  
  
"You're forgiven." Spinner kissed her again. "So where did you end up going?"  
  
"Just for a drive," Paige lied quickly. "No where in particular." She pulled back from him slightly and shifted her gaze to the bedroom. "Now, Mr. Mason, I think we were up to something earlier tonight before we were interrupted by the doorbell, weren't we?" she asked, kissing him. Still kissing him, she started to pull him towards the bedroom. They made it halfway before he finally stopped, picked her up, and carried her into the bedroom.   
  
Slowly, in the darkness, they undressed each other before Spinner laid her down on the bed. "Are you sure?" he asked quietly, looking down at her.  
  
Paige looked up into his big brown eyes and nodded. She lifted her head to kiss him again, and pulled him down against her.   
  
Paige and Spinner made love that night for the first time. And it was beautiful. And romantic. And everything Spinner had wanted for Paige and everything she knew it would be. And when they were finished, they lay there quietly, entangled in each other's arms. Paige listened as Spinner's breathing changed, signaling he was asleep.  
  
And that's when tears fell from her eyes for the second time that night. How could she have been so stupid? She loved Spinner more than anything, how could she even think of feeling the same way about another guy? And as for kissing JT, Paige was determined to forget it ever even happened. She was Spinner's and she wasn't going to risk losing that for anything.  
  
Even as she told herself all of this, she still couldn't escape the one feeling in the pit of her stomach. Guilt.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
You've found hope  
  
You've found faith,  
  
Found how fast she could take it away.  
  
Found true love,  
  
Lost your heart.  
  
Now you don't know who you are.  
  
She made it easy,  
  
Made it free,  
  
Made you hurt til you couldn't see.  
  
Sometimes it stops,  
  
Sometimes it flows,  
  
But baby that is how love goes.  
  
You will fly and you will crawl;  
  
God knows even angels fall.  
  
No such thing as you lost it all.  
  
God knows even angels fall.  
  
It's a secret no one tells;  
  
One day it's heaven, one day it's hell.  
  
It's no fairy tale;  
  
Take it from me,  
  
That's the way it's supposed to be.  
  
You will fly and you will crawl;  
  
God knows even angels fall.  
  
No such thing as you lost it all.  
  
God knows even angels fall.  
  
You laugh, you cry, no one knows why  
  
Behold the thrill of it all...  
  
You're on the ride  
  
You might as well  
  
Open your eyes  
  
You will fly and you will crawl;  
  
God knows even angels fall.  
  
No such thing as you lost it all.  
  
God knows even angels fall.  
  
Even angels fall  
  
Even angels fall  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
* Even Angels Fall is by Jessica Riddle and is found on the 10 Things I Hate About You soundtrack * 


	7. The Happy Couple?

Author's Note ~ I don't own anything related to Degrassi. Oh! I do need some help from all of you though. I can't think of a job for Spinner, so any ideas you have would be fantastic! Thanks again to all of you reviewers!! It brings a smile to my face when I see new reviews (especially good reviews!)  
  
Paige woke up to the sound of cupboards banging in the kitchen. She yawned and rolled over to see what time it was. 9 AM. She groaned, realizing she had only gotten about 3 hours of sleep last night.  
  
Last night. She closed her eyes and remembered. After Spinner had fallen asleep, she had started crying, and that had woken him up again. She had covered up quickly, saying that her sniffles were the result of allergies. He had been his usual sweet self, going to get her allergy pills and then rubbing her back. And then, well yeah. Needless to say, once they got started last night, it took awhile for them to stop. Spinner had finally let her fall asleep around sunrise.  
  
Spinner came into the bedroom carrying a tray. "Good morning Sunshine!" he said smiling.  
  
"Morning." Paige looked at the clock again. "Why aren't you at work?" she asked, sitting up and pulling the blankets around her.  
  
"I took the day off. I figured we could spend the day talking wedding plans," Spinner said. He set the tray down on the bed. "Are you hungry?"  
  
Paige smiled, touched. "You made breakfast?" she asked softly. "I don't think I've ever seen you cook anything."  
  
Spinner shrugged. "I'm just full of surprises." He crawled up so he was lying next to her. "So did you sleep well?" he asked, kissing the top of her head.  
  
"As well as I could despite all the dreams of what we had just done," she said smiling. "How about you?"  
  
"Best I've slept in a long time," he answered. "So, I was thinking about the wedding plans."  
  
"You have?" Again, Paige was touched. "I guess we really haven't talked much about actual details yet, have we?"  
  
"Nope. That's why I figured today we should start. Sound good?"  
  
"Perfect." Paige took a drink of juice and sat back against the pillows. "Have you decided on a best man?"  
  
"Yeah, Jimmy of course. Are you gonna ask Hazel to be your maid of honor?"  
  
"Actually, I didn't have to ask her. She told me she was going to be my maid of honor," she said laughing. "Not like I wouldn't have asked her anyways."  
  
"Right." Spinner hesitated. "Not to be the bringer of bad thoughts or anything, but we need to figure out what to do with our parents."  
  
Paige sighed. Neither of their dads had come around yet. "Mom's been working on dad, but I don't think she's gotten very far. I just don't understand it though! I mean, if Dad can support Mikey's relationship with Todd, then he shouldn't be so against me marrying you."  
  
"Yeah and my Dad's just being a jerk." Spinner shrugged. "Maybe we should try and get them all together for dinner sometime soon."  
  
"Let's not talk about them now," Paige said. She winked and set the tray down on the floor next to the bed.   
  
Spinner grinned. "You're going to tire me out Michalchuk," he said pulling her even closer to him.   
  
"That's big talk coming from the guy who wouldn't let me sleep last night," she murmured.  
  
Later that morning they were still in bed. Spinner was snoring softly, his arm still around her, holding her tight against him. Paige was staring out the window thinking.   
  
She had screwed up last night. She knew that and she was still feeling extremely guilty about it and she knew she wouldn't be able to get rid of that guilt anytime soon.  
  
It was mostly her fault; she realized that. She had been selfish, thinking that JT would easily forget about his feelings for her and be happy just being friends. And then, turning to him when she had a fight with Spinner wasn't exactly smart either. She had basically given him the green light to kiss her.  
  
The Kiss. Paige shivered as she remembered it. She had never been kissed like that before and she wasn't sure how she felt about it.   
  
No. The little voice in her head spoke up again. She was with Spinner. She loved Spinner. She was marrying Spinner. There was no need to try and convince her of that; she knew it was all true. She rolled over so she was facing him. He was so amazing, so good to her. She didn't deserve him half the time, but she didn't know what she would do without him. She wasn't going to do anything to risk losing him.  
  
She leaned forward and softly kissed him on the lips.   
  
He opened his eyes and smiled at her sleepily. "Hey."  
  
"Hey," she said. "We need to get up soon."  
  
Spinner yawned and stretched and sat up. "What do you want to do first?" he asked, as they got dressed.  
  
Paige shrugged. "Well, obviously, we need to pick a date, but to do that, we have to find a place to have the wedding and see what dates they have available."  
  
"Well, how about we go out to lunch, start working on a guest list, pick a few places to check out for the wedding and reception, and then go from there?" Spinner suggested. Paige agreed so they finished getting ready and headed out.  
  
The day was wonderful. They agreed on almost every single detail and idea, and there was little to disagree on. After lunch they had gone and looked at a few places to hold the wedding reception, narrowing it down to 3 possibilities.   
  
After that, they had stopped by Paige's parents' but only her mom was home. She and Paige made plans to go shopping for a dress later that week. She also told them that she had spoken with Spinner's mom, and that the 2 of them wanted to throw an engagement party for the 2 of them. She also promised that they were both working on their dads. Mrs. Michalchuk had talked them into staying for supper, and finally, around 7, they were back home.  
  
Playing the messages on the machine, there was one from Ashley and Jimmy, telling them to come out that night to a new bar. Paige wanted to stay home, but Spinner had talked her into going.  
  
When they got there, not just Ashley and Jimmy were there, but Ellie and Marco, and Hazel and Sean were all there too. And, as Paige noticed, Hazel and Sean were looking sort of close. She would have to ask about that later.  
  
"Paige, it's been so long since I've seen you," Ellie said. "I heard you had come back for Simpson's party, but I was out of town then."  
  
Ellie definitely didn't look the same as Paige remembered. Her hair was still red, but not nearly as wild as it used to be. She didn't dress as "alternative" as she did before either, but still in black.  
  
Paige smiled. "Yeah, I was only supposed to be in town for a few days, but Spinner here changed that." She grinned and winked at him. He just smiled back at her.  
  
"God, you guys are disgusting." Ashley said. "You've been like this ever since you got engaged." She just shook her head.   
  
"Cuz you and Jimmy were never all lovey-dovey." Ellie said, laughing. "I remember a time when you 2 couldn't even leave a room without saying I love you to the other one."  
  
Ashley laughed. "This is true. You and Spinner were never like that though, thank god."  
  
"What?" Paige looked over at Spinner. "Wait a minute, you and Ellie dated?"  
  
"Oops," Ashley said. "You didn't know?"  
  
"Get out! You 2 dated? When?"  
  
Spinner shrugged. "Right after high school, wasn't it?" he asked. Ellie nodded.   
  
"Yeah, we only went out for like 5 months though," Ellie said. "Then we realized we were just better off as friends."  
  
Paige shook her head. "I never would have thought." Her smile faded as she saw someone from the corner of her eye.  
  
"Hey, JT, you made it!" Ashley smiled as he came up to the table. "Toby called a little while ago, he and Kendra will be here in a little bit."  
  
"Oh okay." JT avoided looking at Paige directly. "Hey everyone."  
  
Paige finished her drink in 3 quick gulps, not feeling it burn as it went down her throat. She needed to figure out a way to get her and Spinner out of there as soon as possible.  
  
Before she could do anything though, Jimmy and Sean challenged Marco and Spinner to a game of pool, which they agreed to. After another drink Paige excused herself and headed out to the patio for some fresh air.  
  
She heard footsteps behind her. Sighing she turned around, knowing who it was.   
  
"Paige, we need to talk."  
  
She sighed. "JT, there's nothing to talk about. I owe you an apology though. I should not have gone over to your place last night."  
  
"Paige, we need to talk about the kiss."  
  
She whirled around to face him. "No. JT, as far as I'm concerned, the kiss didn't happen. It shouldn't have happened, and I'm going to pretend that it didn't. I know that's not what you want to hear, but that's how it's got to be."  
  
"You can lie to yourself all you want Paige, but don't deny the fact that you kissed me back last night," JT challenged.   
  
Paige opened her mouth to say something but backed down after seeing the look in his eyes. Her mood softened. "JT, I'm sorry," she said sincerely. "And you're right, I did kiss you back. But not for the reasons you think I did."  
  
"So why did you then?"  
  
"Because, I was caught off guard. JT, maybe I'm naive for saying this, but I didn't expect you to kiss me. I really didn't. And when you did, I was surprised. And I reacted, that's all."  
  
JT shook his head. "You didn't just react Paige, you kissed me back. You can't tell me the kiss didn't mean anything to you."  
  
"JT, I love Spinner," she said quietly. "And one kiss isn't going to change that, no matter how incredible a kiss it was."  
  
"So you admit it wasn't just a kiss."  
  
Paige smiled softly. "JT it was an amazing kiss," she said honestly. "You're right about that, but one kiss isn't going to change the fact that I'm with Spinner."  
  
"Did you tell him about the kiss?"   
  
"No," Paige said. "No, and you can't either. Spinner can never know about it. Please JT, please, promise me you won't say anything to him." She looked at him pleadingly. "I'm begging you."  
  
JT looked at her for a long time. "Fine," he said quietly. "The kiss never happened. Happy?" He spit the words out at her.  
  
"JT-" Paige reached out to stop him before he could walk away. "JT I have one more thing to say to you."  
  
"Really, because I can't take much more from you, I think you've said enough."  
  
"Then hear me out. JT, believe it or not, but I do love you," she said sincerely. "Just not the way you want me to. And who knows, maybe if Spinner wasn't here things could be different, but he is, and things aren't going to change. You can hate me forever, or you can forgive me and be my friend; that's up to you. I just want you to know that I'm always going to be here if you ever need me."  
  
JT smiled slightly. "I can't hate you Paige, you know that. And I'll try not to love you, but that's going to take time too." He looked down into her eyes. "And I can't believe I'm going to ask this, and say no if you want, but-"  
  
"But what?"  
  
JT smiled his usual grin. "Can I have one last kiss to remember you by? As friends, of course."  
  
Paige bit her lip and looked around. They were the only ones outside. She shook her head and smiled as she reached up and kissed him.  
  
It wasn't as intense as their first kiss, but their lips still lingered together longer than they should have. JT was trying to remember how Paige felt in his arms and Paige was trying to let go of the what-ifs in her head.  
  
Finally she pulled away, knowing that she had done the right thing. Now she could focus on starting a new life with Spinner.  
  
She felt JT stiffen beside her and turned to see what was the cause of his sudden discomfort.   
  
"Spinner."  
  
Wow, that chapter ended up being kind of long with really no point to it, didn't it? Not to worry, like I said, trust me, I do have a direction and a plan for this story. Hmm...I wonder how Spinner reacts to what he just saw...... 


	8. Chapter 8, Part 1 Stranded

Author's Note ~ Okay, I'm going to try and do something a little bit different with this next chapter. It's going to actually be divided into 3 separate parts: Paige, Spinner, and JT. I'm hoping it works out as well as it seems to in my mind!  
  
Part 1. Stranded  
  
There, standing on the darkened patio was Spinner. Looking straight at them. Angrily.  
  
"Spinner!" Paige started towards him but he held up his hand to stop her.  
  
"How could you?" he asked. "How could you do this?"  
  
"It's not what you think Spinner, please, just let me explain!" Paige tried to reach out to him but he pushed her hands away.  
  
"I'm not stupid Paige. I saw the 2 of you." He shook his head angrily.   
  
"Please," she begged.  
  
"No. Just stay away from me." Spinner turned and stormed away.  
  
"Spinner!" She called after him. But it was too late, he was gone.  
  
"Paige, hey, let him cool down," JT said.   
  
"No! It's not okay!" Paige shook off his hand and ran back into the bar. Spinner was already gone and Paige couldn't bring herself to tell any of their friends why he left without her, so she accepted JT's invitation to drive her home.  
  
"Spinner?" Paige stopped him before he entered the apartment building. "Spin, please, let me explain."  
  
"Explain what?" He looked at her. "You kissed JT. What's there to explain?"  
  
"It didn't mean anything! Spin, please listen to me."  
  
"It didn't mean anything." Spinner laughed darkly. "It didn't look like that to me. It looked like it meant something to you."  
  
"It didn't. You need to believe me." Paige was crying now.  
  
"Why? Why should I believe you? I'm not an idiot Paige, I know how York feels about you and I know you have some feelings for him. I never thought you'd act on them."  
  
"No, you have it wrong Spinner! Please, just let me expel-"  
  
"No! No. For once, you're going to hear what I have to say." Spinner turned around and faced her angrily. "I can't believe you Paige. Just last night, you made love to me. Last night, we made love. For the first time." Spinner's tone was harsh and cold. "And I wasn't good enough for you. I wasn't good enough for you so you went running like you always do to JT. Was he worth it?" Spinner was screaming now.  
  
"That's not it at all!" Paige said. She was sobbing now.   
  
"Tell me this then Paige. Was that the first time you kissed him?"  
  
Paige was caught off guard. "What?" she asked. "Spin, how could you even think that?"  
  
"Was it?"  
  
Paige lowered her eyes and took a deep but shaky breath. "No," she whispered. Spinner was silent, and when she finally looked up at him she was shocked.  
  
For the first time ever, Paige saw something in Spinner's eyes that she never thought she would see. Hatred.  
  
"Leave," he finally said. His voice was like steel. Very controlled.   
  
"No," she choked out. She went towards him, trying to hold on to him. "Please, we can talk through this, just listen to me, you'll understand, I pro-"  
  
"I said leave," Spinner said roughly. He pushed her away again and she stumbled and fell to the ground.   
  
She looked up and saw that Spinner was crying. She had never seen Spinner cry, and it broke her heart.  
  
Spinner looked once more at her, still sitting on the ground crying, before he turned and walked away from her.  
  
Paige didn't watch him walk away. She couldn't. She heard the door slam and that's when she broke down. Sobs wracked her body as everything that had just happened hit her.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
You know it only breaks my heart  
  
to see you standing in the dark  
  
oh, waiting there for me   
  
to come back  
  
I'm too afraid to show   
  
It's coming over you   
  
like its coming over me  
  
crashing like a tidal wave  
  
that drags me out to sea  
  
and I wanna be with you  
  
if you wanna be with me  
  
crashing like a tidal wave  
  
and I don't wanna be  
  
stranded, stranded, stranded, stranded  
  
But I can only take so much  
  
these tears are turning me to rust  
  
I know, you're waiting there for me  
  
to come back  
  
I'm too afraid to show  
  
It's coming over you   
  
like its coming over me  
  
crashing like a tidal wave  
  
that drags me out to sea  
  
and I wanna be with you  
  
if you wanna be with me  
  
crashing like a tidal wave  
  
and I don't wanna be  
  
stranded, stranded, stranded, stranded  
  
I miss you  
  
I need you  
  
without you I'm stranded  
  
So come back, I'm not afraid to show...  
  
It's coming over you   
  
like its coming over me  
  
crashing like a tidal wave  
  
that drags me out to sea  
  
and I wanna be with you  
  
if you wanna be with me  
  
crashing like a tidal wave  
  
and I don't wanna be  
  
stranded, stranded, stranded, stranded  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The song is Stranded by Plumb. I don't know the name of the CD it's on, but I think it's on the Drive Me Crazy Soundtrack. 


	9. Chapter 8, Part 2 One More Sad Song

Author's Note ~ Thanks for all of the great reviews everyone!!! I'm not sure how long this story is going to be...but I have a feeling I'm not even half way done. LOL And oh yeah, I don't own Degrassi.  
  
Ooh...and there are 2 songs for this chapter, they both reflect on Spinner dealing with what just happened. So it's easier to understand, I'll put it this way: If this were a movie, the first song would be playing as Spinner came into the apartment and watches Paige from the window. The second song would be playing when he goes into the bedroom, and would keep playing into the next scene, i.e. the next chapter. And, finally ~ the second song is dedicated to one of you reviewers, as I know it will make you happy! You know who you are!  
  
Chapter 8, Part 2. One More Sad Song  
  
Spinner slammed into the apartment and leaned against the door. He slid down to the floor, his face buried in his hands. So many things had gone wrong in the last half hour. Hell, so many things went wrong in the last 10 minutes.  
  
Paige had kissed another guy. She had kissed JT. And more than once.   
  
When Spinner had walked out onto that patio and saw the 2 of them it felt like he had been sucker punched. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't move. He could only watch.  
  
Getting up he went over to the window and looked down to the parking lot. Paige was still where he had left her, on her knees on the sidewalk. He could see her whole body heave up and down as she cried.   
  
"Dammit." He said, hitting his fist against the window. He had done this to her. She had reached out to him and he pushed her away and she fell. And then he walked away from her. He had never walked away from her before.  
  
He stared down at her. Just as he was about to bolt out of the apartment and run downstairs to get her, he saw JT York kneel down beside her to comfort her.  
  
He turned away from the window and stormed through the apartment aimlessly. Of course, he fumed. Of course JT would be there to comfort her. Where else would he be? Ever since Paige had been back in town he was always around. And Paige was never shy about telling Spinner how comfortable and safe she had felt with JT during the whole Dean situation.  
  
Paige had always teased him about being jealous but he always denied it, even though he knew she was right. Spinner looked out the window once more before snapping the blinds close. He went into the bedroom for lack of another place to go.  
  
What Spinner didn't know was that if he had only watched out the window not 5 seconds more, he would have seen Paige push JT away.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
One boy, one girl, two hearts, their world  
  
Time goes by, secrets rise  
  
One more, sad song, tears shed, she's gone  
  
She'd take it back, if she only could  
  
All the perfect words they seem so wrong,  
  
She's gone  
  
You wish that you could learn to see,  
  
The door is closed and you wish you could be  
  
Alone with you, alone with me  
  
What can I do, I cannot breathe  
  
My heart is torn, for all to see  
  
Alone with you, alone with me.  
  
Best friend, worst thing, she's been, cheating  
  
Friend deceives, she leaves  
  
Last date. She cries, whispers, goodbye  
  
She walks once more, out that door  
  
All the perfect words they seem so wrong,  
  
She's gone  
  
You wish that you could learn to see,  
  
The door is closed and you wish you could be  
  
Alone with you, alone with me  
  
What can I do, I cannot breathe  
  
My heart is torn, for all to see  
  
Alone with you, alone with me.  
  
Please stay, don't go away  
  
The hardest thing is letting go of you  
  
Stay, don't go away  
  
The hardest thing is letting go of you  
  
what can I do?  
  
Alone with you, alone with me, what can I do?  
  
I cannot breathe, alone with, alone with,   
  
alone with you, alone with me, what can I do?   
  
I cannot breathe; my heart is torn for all to see,   
  
alone with you, alone with me  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
In the bedroom, Spinner was still wandering. His eyes fell to a picture album that was lying on the bookshelf. He hadn't seen it before so he picked it up and sat down on the bed.  
  
Spinner and Paige. Every single picture in the book was of the 2 of them. Them at Senior Prom, hanging out in junior high, random parties at Jimmy's house. He let a small smile slip past his lips as he saw a picture of them from the Luau themed dance. The one where they had both been sunburned. He couldn't believe she had all of these pictures. She was such a cheese ball romantic.  
  
No. He snapped the photo album shut. Paige messed up. She messed up big time and he couldn't forgive her just like that.  
  
He turned off the light and lay down in bed. He couldn't deal with Paige right now; JT could take care of her.  
  
But in the back corner of his head, one question lingered still. Could he forgive her that easily?  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Still is the light  
  
Of your room  
  
When you're not inside  
  
And all of your things  
  
Tell the sweetest story line  
  
Your tears on these sheets  
  
And your footprints are down the hall  
  
Tell me what I did  
  
I can't find where the moment went wrong at all  
  
You can be mad in the morning  
  
I'll take back what I said  
  
Just don't leave me alone here  
  
It's cold, baby  
  
Come back to bed  
  
Come back to bed  
  
Come back to bed  
  
Come back to bed  
  
What will this fix?  
  
You know you're not a quick forgiver  
  
And I won't sleep through this  
  
I survive on the breath you are finished with  
  
You can be mad in the morning  
  
I'll take back what I said  
  
Just don't leave me alone here  
  
It's cold, baby  
  
Come back to bed, yeah  
  
Come back to bed  
  
Come back to bed  
  
Come on, come back to bed  
  
Come back to bed  
  
You can be mad in the morning  
  
Or the afternoon instead  
  
But don't leave me now  
  
Please, the separation from you baby  
  
Come back to bed  
  
Come back to bed  
  
Come back to bed  
  
Come back to bed  
  
Don't hold your love over my head  
  
Come on, come back to bed  
  
Why don't you come on back to bed  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Paige waited until she saw all of the lights go off in the apartment before getting up the nerve to go upstairs. She opened the door silently and crept inside. If Spinner heard her come in, he didn't acknowledge her presence. (And he did hear her, he was just too stubborn to get up and talk to her) Paige had thought she had cried all of the tears out of her system, but coming into that apartment and for the first time, not feeling welcome, a fresh wave of them spilled from her eyes. She curled up in a tight ball on the couch and cried herself to sleep.  
  
The two songs are One More Sad Song by the All-American Rejects, and Come Back to Bed by John Mayer (buy his cd, buy his cd!) 


	10. Chapter 8, Part 3 White Flag

Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up I got a little busy redecorating and other stuff!! But here we go with JT's point of view of this wonderful little night.   
  
As usual, I don't own Degrassi or anything having to do with it. And once again, thanks to EVERYONE who has reviewed!! You all make my day!!  
  
Oh, and I'm sad to say, if I use the date rule that Manny and Emma were talking about in the episode Hot for Teacher, I'm too old for Spinner. Half of 22 is 11, and plus 7 is 18, and that's just 2 years difference! -cries-  
  
Chapter 8, Part 3. White Flag  
  
JT was silent the whole way as he drove Paige back to her apartment. He hadn't thought it was a good idea for her to there so soon and wanted to tell her that, but he knew better. It wouldn't have made any difference.  
  
He sighed, not really even sure the entire events of the night had happened. Had he really kissed Paige again? Had Spinner really seen them?  
  
JT wasn't going to lie to himself. A small part of him hoped that Spinner would be unable to forgive Paige, which would leave Paige free for him. Yes, it would take awhile for Paige to get over her relationship with Spinner, but in the end, it was obvious she would turn to him for comfort, and they would be one small step away from everything JT wanted.  
  
Keeping his smile hidden, JT glanced over at Paige in the passenger's seat. His smile faded as he saw how upset she really was. She wasn't crying anymore, but she was still sniffling. And she kept fidgeting. A closer look proved that she was continuously twisting her engagement ring around her finger.  
  
When they arrived at the apartment complex Paige was out of the car before it had come to a complete stop. JT watched as she caught up with Spinner.   
  
Without being able to hear what they were saying, he was able to tell that they were arguing. Paige reached out to Spinner and he pushed her away. JT was out of the car as soon as he saw Spinner push Paige away.   
  
'Shh Paige," he whispered, kneeling down next to her and putting an arm around her shoulders. "It's going to be okay," he said soothingly. "Everything's going to be okay. Come on, I'll take you back to my place and you can sleep and tomorrow we'll figure everything out. I promise."  
  
"No!" Paige screamed, pushing him away. "I don't want your help JT! You're the reason this is happening anyways! Because of you and that stupid kiss, I just messed up my entire life. All I want right now is for you to go away and leave me alone." She picked herself up and ran into the apartment building.  
  
JT stood there for a few moments, watching the shadows as she climbed the stairs and entered her apartment. He waited for lights to come on, but they never did. He watched a few moments more before walking dejectedly back to his car.  
  
Paige was never going to be his. He knew this now. She was never going to stop loving Spinner and even if he didn't forgive her, she was never going to turn to him. She blamed him for what happened, and rightfully so. He knew he'd be extremely lucky if Paige ever even talked to him again.  
  
But he still loved her. JT realized this as he drove home. It was just starting to rain as he got home and he stood in it for a while, letting the water fall on him. He was always going to love Paige no matter what. If only he could just let go enough to love her as a friend. And if Paige ever gave him the chance, he knew he had to make things up to her, as a friend.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
I know you think that I shouldn't still love you   
  
I'll tell you that   
  
But if I didn't say it   
  
Well, I'd still have felt it   
  
Where's the sense in that?   
  
I promise I'm not trying to make your life harder   
  
Or return to where we were   
  
Well I will go down with this ship   
  
And I won't put my hands up and surrender   
  
There will be no white flag above my door   
  
I'm in love and always will be   
  
I know I left too much mess   
  
And destruction to come back again   
  
And I caused nothing but trouble   
  
I understand if you can't talk to me again   
  
And if you live by the rules of "It's over"   
  
Then I'm sure that that makes sense   
  
Well I will go down with this ship   
  
And I won't put my hands up and surrender   
  
There will be no white flag above my door   
  
I'm in love and always will be   
  
And when we meet   
  
As I'm sure we will   
  
All that was then   
  
Will be there still   
  
I'll let it pass   
  
And hold my tongue   
  
And you will think   
  
That I've moved on   
  
Well I will go down with this ship   
  
And I won't put my hands up and surrender   
  
There will be no white flag above my door   
  
I'm in love and always will be   
  
Well I will go down with this ship   
  
And I won't put my hands up and surrender   
  
There will be no white flag above my door   
  
I'm in love and always will be   
  
I will go down with this ship   
  
And I won't put my hands up and surrender   
  
There will be no white flag above my door   
  
I'm in love and always will be  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The song is White Flag by Dido, and is on her cd, Life For Rent. 


	11. Forgive and Forget

Author's Note ~ Thanks for the fabulous reviews everyone!! I sooo appreciate them! Just to let you all know, I submitted Coming Home to my English professor as my short story, and received a 96% on it, so that was happy news! How fun is it that I get to write Degrassi stories as homework? Mwahahaha. Anyways, back with the update...The 3 part chapter pleased me very much, it ended up the way I wanted it to, so yay that! Let's see if I can crank some more chapters out quickly here!  
  
And yeah, I don't own Degrassi and anything relating to it.  
  
Paige woke up with a groan. She sat up rubbing her neck with one hand, and looked around. Why had she fallen asleep on the couch? Usually, when that happened, Spinner woke her up and took her to bed.   
  
Oh yeah. All of last night's events came back to her. Of course Spinner hadn't moved her from the couch. She stood up and walked into the bedroom. It was empty. A quick look out the window showed her Spinner had already left for the day.  
  
Paige felt like she was kicked in the stomach. And then immediately she felt guilty for being mad at Spinner for being mad at her. She sat down on the bed and looked at the phone. After a moment's hesitation, she picked it up and dialed his cell phone.   
  
She listened to the voice mail message and waited for the beep. "Hey, Spin, it's me," she began nervously. "I was just um, well I guess I just wanted to talk to you, but I guess you're already at work. Um, call me back this morning okay? Maybe we can meet up for lunch to talk about-things. I'll be waiting for your call. Love you, bye." She put the phone down, mentally yelling at herself for sounding like such an idiot on the phone. But hopefully, Spinner would call her back.  
  
In the meantime, she took a shower and got ready for her day. She was putting on her make up when she heard the phone rang. She almost tripped over herself, running to the phone. "Hello?" she asked breathlessly.  
  
"Hey, what happened last night to you guys?"  
  
"Oh." Paige's shoulders slumped. "Hey Hazel, sorry we ran off with no explanation."  
  
"Yeah, you and Spinner and JT were all gone all of a sudden. What happened?"  
  
"I screwed everything up," Paige said. She briefly explained everything to Hazel.  
  
"Okay, wow. Paige, I'm so sorry. But you and Spinner will work things out, you always do."  
  
"I hope so Haze. But you should have seen the look in his eyes last night. I've never seen him look at me that way before."  
  
While Paige was talking to Hazel, Spinner was sitting at his desk, debating on whether or not he should call her or not. He was about to pick up the phone when someone knocked on his office door.  
  
"Hey, looks like we're working together on the new ad campaign together," Ellie said, sitting down at his desk. She looked at his face. "Wow, you look like crap. What happened last night? You and Paige left kind of abruptly."  
  
"Yeah well, I saw something I wasn't supposed to see and it kind of killed the night," Spinner answered, putting the phone back down. "So you're going to be my scriptwriter for this ad?"  
  
"Yes, but that can wait." Ellie looked at him with a concerned look on her face. "What happened last night?"  
  
Spinner shrugged. "I caught Paige kissing JT out on the patio and got pretty pissed and said a lot of horrible things to her."  
  
"Oh. Well what did she say to explain herself?" Ellie sighed when Spinner didn't answer. "You didn't let her explain anything, did you?"  
  
"Why should I?" Spinner asked. "El, she kissed JT. And she said it wasn't the first time. So actually, I don't need her to explain anything. Just seeing the 2 of them was more than enough to make me mad."  
  
"Well what did you say to her this morning?" Again, he was silent. "Oh that's mature," she said. "Are you just going to ignore her from now on? That's going to make for an interesting wedding."  
  
"If there is a wedding." The words shocked Spinner more than Ellie.  
  
"You called off the wedding?" she asked. "Wow."  
  
"No, I didn't call off the wedding." Spinner sighed. "I don't know what I'm going to do, I just need to cool off before I talk to her."  
  
"Do you want my advice?"  
  
"Not really."  
  
"Well, you're still going to get it. Don't wait too long Spinner. The longer you wait to talk to her, the more space is going to come between the 2 of you, and then you won't know how to find your way past this. Kind of like the way things happened between us." She smiled and opened her briefcase. "Now, about this new campaign."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Paige was trying to concentrate on the television but she couldn't. Spinner hadn't called her at all today. She had waited til eleven-thirty and then went to work. She raced home from work and there weren't any messages on the machine and he hadn't called her cell phone. And now, it was almost seven; he had been out of work for 2 hours and hadn't been home yet.  
  
She would have called him, but she had already called his phone at least 5 times and she knew he wasn't going to answer.  
  
She heard the elevator stop on their floor and footsteps coming down the hallway. Her heart jumped into her throat as she realized it was Spinner. She heard him turn the key in the door and come in. She stood up and looked at him.  
  
"Hey," she said softly.  
  
"Oh, hey," he said looking at her. "How was your day?"  
  
"Long," she said truthfully. "It's late, have you eaten yet? I could-"  
  
"I'm not hungry, thanks." There was an awkward silence between them as they stood there looking at each other.  
  
Finally Spinner just shook his head and gestured to the couch. "We need to talk," he said.  
  
Paige nodded, sitting on one end of the couch as he sat on the other. "Who goes first?" she asked.  
  
"I will." Spinner looked out the window as he spoke. "Paige, I'm not going to lie, when I walked out on the patio last night, that was the last thing I expected to see. And it was also the worst thing I could see. I mean, I can't find words to tell you exactly how I felt when-" he stopped talking when he saw her face. "I'm not saying all of this to make you feel bad," he said. "I just want you to understand what I'm feeling."  
  
"I know," Paige said quietly. "And I wish I could explain things to you in a way that wouldn't hurt you even more."   
  
"I think it's safe to say we're both hurting right now Paige, and we're probably going to hurt more before we start to get better." Spinner sighed. "Why did you kiss him Paige?"  
  
She looked down at her hands. "I guess I should start at the beginning. The other night, when we fought and I ran out? I told you I was out just driving around, but that was a lie. I don't know why I ended up there, but somehow I turned up at JT's. He let me rant and rave about our stupid fight and when I was done he asked me if I ever thought about what would have happened if you and I hadn't gotten back together and while I was telling him I loved you, he kissed me." She couldn't look up at him just yet. "He kissed me and I was too shocked too pull away right away."  
  
"Did you kiss him back?"  
  
Paige nodded, still not looking at him. "Yes, but then I pushed him away and ran out of the house. Spinner, I felt so horrible. I wanted to forget the kiss happened. I wanted to pretend that I never went over to his place in the first place. And then, I came back here and you were waiting for me, and we made up, and then we made love..." her voice trailed off for a moment. "After that, I was determined to forget it happened and focus on you and me and our life together."  
  
"And the kiss last night?"  
  
"That was my fault," Paige admitted. "You went to play pool and I went to get some fresh air and JT followed me. He asked me if I had told you about what happened and I told him that I hadn't and wasn't planning to. I told him that while he was one of my best friends, I was never going to feel for him what I feel for you. And he accepted that. Or at least he said he did. We were about to go back inside when he asked me if I would kiss him again, kind of a goodbye kiss I guess." Paige looked up at Spinner finally. "I shouldn't have agreed to it, I know that. I guess I just wanted to give him that one last kiss as closure. For me as well as for him. Because I knew, that after that, I was never going to kiss anyone but you and I was so happy about that."  
  
Spinner stood up and paced back and forth. "What did you feel when you kissed him?" he asked.  
  
"Nothing," Paige said honestly. "Spinner, I felt so guilty. And then, when I pulled away and saw you. Spin, I thought I was going to lose you, and that was the worst thing I'd ever felt. Until later that night anyways."  
  
Spinner stopped and stood over her. "Do you want to know what upsets me most Paige? I sat there and watched you kiss JT. And when you pulled away from him I saw your eyes. And Paige, you had the same look in your eyes that I see every time we kiss. That's what hurts."  
  
Paige shook her head. "No. There is no comparison between you and JT. Spinner, I swear, the only person I want to kiss is you. You're the one that I love, and you're the one I want to spend the rest of my life with." She stood up and faced him. "Please, Spin, I can't tell you how sorry I am. I can't take back what I did either." She looked him in the eyes and held his gaze. "Is there anyway we can get past this?"   
  
Spinner looked at her for a long time. He held out his arms and Paige stepped into them, wrapping her arms around him as tight as she could. He held onto her just as tightly and rested his head on top of hers. "In the words of a wise man, Michalchuk," he said softly. "It's hard for me to take a stand, I'll just take you anyway I can."  
  
Paige laughed through her tears. "I love you," she said, standing on her toes to kiss him.  
  
"I love you too Babe," he said, rubbing her back. "And I'm sorry for how I reacted. I just couldn't stand the sight of you with anyone else."  
  
"Good, because I couldn't stand to be with anyone else," Paige said. They kissed again. She giggled as Spinner picked her up and carried her over his shoulder into the bedroom. He tossed her gently onto the bed, walked away to turn off the light, and then jumped on the bed next to her.   
  
Hmm...Think that's the end of the drama? Maybe, but before there's a wedding there's still one thing that's missing.... parental approval. And oh yeah, if you can spot the hidden song lyric, then wow, I'm impressed. Review Review Review!!!! 


	12. Pillow Talk

Author's Note ~ No note this time actually, just the customary disclaimer that I don't own anything associated with Degrassi.  
  
"Do you want kids?"  
  
Spinner looked up from the television, the handful of chips he was about to shove in his mouth frozen in mid air. "Right now?"  
  
"Yes, right this minute." She was sitting across from him, flipping through a magazine absently. "No silly, in the future. Do you ever think about stuff like that?"  
  
"Paige, it's the last 8 minutes of the 3rd quarter of the most important hockey game of the season. Do we have to talk about this now?" Spinner looked at her like she was from another planet.  
  
Paige sighed. "Fine, we'll talk about it later." They fell back into silence as Spinner resumed watching the game and Paige read an article about the 2 must have shoes for the season. She waited for a commercial before asking,  
  
"How many kids do you want to have?"  
  
Spinner shot her another look. "Okay fine, I'll be quiet and leave you alone." She got up and took her magazine into the bedroom.  
  
Spinner sighed as he watched her leave the room. He knew he was supposed to follow her and have this deep meaningful conversation that she was trying to bring up, but honestly, in the last few minutes of a game he'd been waiting for all week?   
  
"Three."  
  
Paige looked up from where she was lying on the bed. Spinner was standing in the doorway. "What?"  
  
"Three kids," he explained.   
  
"Aren't you missing the end of the hockey game?" she asked.   
  
"Didn't you want to talk about this now?" he asked.  
  
She shrugged and rolled over onto back. "You can finish watching your game," she said. She was sort of surprised when he crawled onto the bed next to her and turned the TV on. She felt a little bit better though when he wrapped his arms around her and snuggled close.  
  
When the game ended he turned the TV back off and kissed the top of her head. "So yeah, three kids; all boys."  
  
"Boy? Why all boys?"  
  
"Because I've known you since you were 3 years old. And I don't know how your parents put up with you. Boys are so much easier than girls."  
  
Paige laughed. "Oh really? You mean to tell me your mom had no trouble with you when you were younger?"  
  
"Nope, I was a perfect angel," Spinner declared.  
  
Paige hit him with a pillow. "Liar." He grabbed the pillow out of her hands and hit her back. This of course, escalated into a full throttle pillow fight that ended only when Paige surrendered, gasping from her giggling fit.  
  
"Don't mess with me Michalchuk, I'll win every time," he boasted.  
  
"I guess so." She settled back into his arms. "What are you going to call me after we're married?" she asked. "I'm gonna miss Michalchuk."  
  
"You're right, I'm going to need a new nickname for you. Let's see," he thought for a moment then grinned. "Maybe I'll just call you Brat from now on."  
  
She poked him in the ribs. "Go ahead. I dare you. Gavin."  
  
"Okay fine, I'll just call you Paige I guess." He was silent for a moment before asking, "Why did you bring up having kids earlier?"  
  
Paige shrugged. "Don't you think that we need to talk about these kind of things?" she asked. "Instead of waiting until after the wedding and then being like, oh by the way?"  
  
"I guess," Spinner agreed. "But I also think we need to focus on something a little more important right now."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Our parents."  
  
Paige sighed. "I was kinda hoping we could just run off and get married and then come back and tell them."  
  
"You know we can't do that."  
  
"I know. But do you really think our dads are ever going to accept this?" Paige asked. "Because honestly, I don't want them even invited to the wedding if all they're going to do is ruin the day."  
  
"Well, what do you say we try talking to them again?" Spinner suggested. "Someplace public where they can't cause a scene."  
  
"You want to get all of our parents together for dinner and talk about the wedding and expect them to not fight?" Paige kissed Spinner on the cheek. "You're a lot of things Sweetie, but not a miracle worker."  
  
"Well I know they'll fight, but not as loudly if we're in a public place. Hang on" Spinner reached over and grabbed the phone off of the nightstand. "Hi Mom? Good, how are you? Great. Yeah, Paige is good too. Actually, we were wondering if maybe you and dad could join Paige's parents and us for dinner on Saturday night? You can? Good. Yeah, that's the plan. Okay, I'll talk to you later. Bye." He smiled and handed the phone to Paige. "Saturday night at 8. The Silver Spoon restaurant."  
  
Paige dialed her parents' number. "Daddy? Hi. Good, you? Oh good. No, I don't need to talk to mom, I can ask you. Well, Sp-Gavin and I would like you and mom to have dinner with us and Mr. and Mrs. Mason this Saturday. What? I know. I know. Yes daddy, I know that you think that. Please? I promise. Okay, good. Yep, Saturday night, at 8. The Silver Spoon. Yes, that's the one. Okay, I gotta go too. Love you." She hung up the phone and rolled her eyes. "I hope you're ready for this," she warned.  
  
"I'm ready for anything," Spinner declared. "I can't wait until we're finally married," he said. "I mean, I know it's not going to be much different than how we live right now, but it will be." He laughed. "That didn't make much sense did it?"  
  
"I know what you meant." Paige smiled. "And I feel the same. I'm so excited though, mom and I are going shopping for my dress tomorrow."  
  
"And you'll be the most beautiful bride in Toronto," Spinner said yawning. He was starting to get sleepy.  
  
Paige snuggled comfortably in Spinner's arms as she heard him snoring gently. This was how it was supposed to be, she thought. Their life was going to be perfect together, she knew it. 


	13. Dinner's at 8

Author's Note: Get ready for some drama, that's all I'm saying!! And as always, I don't own anything associated with Degrassi: The Next Generation.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Whoa." Spinner whistled as he walked into the bedroom where Paige was getting ready. "You're all dressed up. Got some hot date I don't know about?"  
  
Paige froze, the mascara wand held halfway to her eye. She turned around slowly and stared at Spinner, who was standing in the doorway in a pair of track pants (A.N. snicker, giggle) and a t-shirt.  
  
"You're kidding right?" she asked in disbelief.   
  
"About what?" He looked at her innocently.  
  
"Gavin Mason, if you forgot about our dinner plans tonight, so help me God, I swear I'll-" she broke off when she saw Spinner grinning at her. "You jerk. Why aren't you ready yet?"  
  
"I just got out of the shower Babe, it'll take me three minutes to throw clothes on. Unlike you, I'm naturally adorable and I don't need to spend hours in front of a mirror with all that make-up junk." He went over to the closet and started going through his clothes.  
  
"Did you just call me ugly?" she asked, plucking a stray hair from her eyebrow.  
  
"No, I don't think that's what I said," Spinner said quickly, trying to think of a way to mend his offending remark. "What I said was you're gorgeous on your own, but the make-up you so subtly use only enhances the natural beauty that you are."  
  
"Mmmhmm." Paige smirked at him through the mirror. "I'll let you slide that time."  
  
"Good. Should I wear this or this?" he asked, holding up two different shirts.  
  
Paige made a face. "I think I set something out on the bed for you actually," she said.  
  
"What, you don't trust me to dress myself now?"   
  
"Coming from the man that wore sandals with socks to his high school graduation ceremony? I don't think you want me to answer that." Paige finished her make up and walked over to Spinner, holding a necklace in her hands. "Can you do this up for me?"  
  
Spinner laughed at the memory of graduation. "You know I was naked under that graduation robe, right?" he asked, fastening the necklace around her neck.   
  
"I had heard the rumours, yes," she said, giggling as he kissed her neck. "Stop that. We're going to be late."  
  
"But you smell good," Spinner said, wrapping his arms around her. "And so what if our parents are left waiting at the restaurant? They can figure this stuff out without us, can't they?"  
  
Paige turned around, kissed him quickly on the lips, and moved from his grasp. "Nope, sorry," she said. "Now come on, get dressed already. And comb some of that hair out of your eyes please." She smiled and left the room.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Paige, honey I happened to see you on TV the other day for the first time," Mrs. Mason said. "I hardly recognized you, you looked like a professional." She laughed nervously. "I mean, you are a professional, I'm sorry. I'm just not used to seeing you on TV is all."  
  
Paige smiled. "I know what you mean. I look totally different when I'm on TV. It's all the make-up they put on me, plus the lighting. I see myself and think, that can't be me."  
  
"I didn't like the shirt you wore yesterday on air," Spinner said. "It was way too low-cut."  
  
"Spin, I have the same shirt in a different color that I wear all the time," she pointed out.  
  
"Yeah, but not on TV where millions of guys sit there and drool over you."  
  
Paige just laughed. "All right then, I'll be more careful what I wear," she said, patting his cheek.  
  
Mrs. Michalchuk rolled her eyes at Mrs. Mason. "Do you even remember being so young and in love like this?" she asked.   
  
"Good lord yes. And why didn't our parents have the good sense to tease us out of acting like they are?" Mrs. Mason asked laughing.  
  
Paige blushed. "So Mom, have you heard from Dylan lately? I called him a few weeks ago but he never called back," she said, trying to change the topic.  
  
"Can we stop making this awkward small talk?" Mr. Michalchuk interrupted. "We all know why we're here tonight, so can't we just discuss it and get it over with."  
  
Paige took a deep breath. "My wedding isn't something that we're just going to discuss and get it over with," she said. "But fine, if you want to talk about it now, let's go."  
  
"Fine. I still think the two of you are making a big mistake," Mr. Michalchuk said. "You're far too young and still too immature to even know what a marriage even consists of. What it even takes to make a marriage last."  
  
"Frank's right," Mr. Mason agreed. "The two of you haven't even seen each other in 4 or 5 years and you think you know each other well enough to spend the rest of your lives together?"  
  
"Dad, Paige and I can't ignore the fact that we spent so much time apart," Spinner said. "But we can't dwell on it either. All I know is that when Paige came back to town and I saw her, I knew I was still in love with her. And I didn't care if she was the same Paige I knew before or a completely new person. Either way, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her." He picked up her hand and squeezed it gently. "And yes, Paige and I learn something new about each other every single day. It's not always good things, but it's not always bad either. What's important is that while yes, I have faults and she has faults, we still love each other just as much in spite of those faults. I may even love her more because of them in fact." He smiled at his parents. "Besides, you can't tell me truthfully that you and mom knew every single thing there was to know about each other before you got married, and that you never had any shaky moments where you wondered about what you were doing together." He took their silence as a cue to continue. "And look where you 2 are today. Still together, and still in love."  
  
Paige smiled at her dad. "Daddy, I want you at my wedding," she said gently. "I want you there to walk me down the aisle, and I want you there to dance with me. But most of all, I want you there to tell me that you know I'm going to be okay, and that you'll always be there for me if I ever need you. I want nothing more than for you to give your blessing over Spinner and I, but regardless of whether I have it or not, there is going to be a wedding." She paused. "Please don't be the one thing that spoils it."  
  
Mr. Michalchuk took a sip of his wine and looked at Mr. Mason. "She always was good with the guilt trips," he said gruffly.   
  
"I imagine so. I have a daughter too." Mr. Mason smiled as well. "And you," he said looking at Spinner. "I have to say, when you spoke just now, I was impressed by how sure of yourself and of this relationship you really are."  
  
Paige looked at Spinner and then at their fathers. "So?" she asked slowly.  
  
Mr. Michalchuk reached over and took his daughter's hand. "I'm not going to stand in the way of your life," he said finally. "If this is what you really want, and I can see now that it really is, then I support you completely." He looked at Spinner. "But if she ever comes to me in tears over something stupid that you did, you'll have to deal with me."  
  
Spinner laughed, squeezing Paige's other hand. "I'll keep that in mind Sir." He then looked at his dad expectantly.  
  
Mr. Mason cleared his throat. "Who was protesting this wedding in the first place?" he asked. Everyone laughed then, and immediately, the tension was gone from the table.  
  
After dinner, the Masons, the Michalchuks and Paige and Spinner all left the restaurant together. It was raining and they could hear thunder in the distance.  
  
Paige shivered, smiling gratefully as Spinner wrapped his coat around her shoulders. "Okay Mom, so we'll go finalize the dress decisions tomorrow?" she asked, as they were saying their goodbyes. The agreed on a time to meet, and after everyone was done saying goodnight, they all got into their separate cars; one green, one red, and one blue; and drove off.  
  
The couple in the red car never even saw truck that flew through the intersection until it was too late. They were already skidding out of control and flipped over into a ditch.  
  
And then the storm broke overhead. There was a flash of lightning and thunder and then everything went black and all was silent except for the driving rain.  
  
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Wow, that even surprised me, the end of that chapter. Not the direction I was planning when I started it, but hey, I think I like where it's going. Thanks to everyone who's been following this story, your reviews absolutely make my day and I hope I can still keep you interested in the story for a little while longer!!  
  
  
  
I need to throw a huge shout out here to SVU-Obsessed. Thank you so very much with your help with this story, I truly do appreciate it!! And everyone who hasn't, check out her story After That Night... I'm telling you it's the best one on this site (in my little opinion) 


	14. Wake Up

The hospital was busy that night; there had been a lot of accidents due to the storm. The waiting rooms were so crowded that the Staff had begun ushering people into empty cubicles to wait, although those were soon filling up as well.  
  
A truck that went flying through a red light had hit Paige and Spinner's car. The driver had insisted he had tried to slow down but the brakes didn't work. A sobriety test given at the hospital proved the real reason for the accident.   
  
Help had arrived on the scene incredibly fast, and both the Michalchuks and the Masons had witnessed the accident, much to their horror. Their children had been pulled from the wreckage, but neither had been awake. They were taken away in separate ambulances, and once they were at the hospital, one had been rushed into surgery, while the other was proclaimed stable, however, still unconscious.  
  
And now the parents were waiting anxiously in one of the waiting rooms. Mr. Michalchuk was pacing back and forth while his wife was trying to get a hold of their son Dylan. The Masons were sitting still, nearly in shock over the accident.   
  
Some time later, Paige was starting to wake up in her room. She looked around, realizing she was in a hospital room, and frantically tried to remember how she got there in the first place.  
  
She and Spinner had dinner with her parents, and they were leaving the restaurant, and that's all she remembered. She blinked her eyes a few times, trying to clear the cobwebs from her memory.  
  
Her parents were in the room before she could remember anything else. They must have been watching her from the window, waiting for her to wake up.  
  
"Paige, honey, how do you feel?" Mrs. Michalchuk asked, sitting down next to her and placing a hand on her head. "Are you okay? Do we need to get the doctor?"  
  
Paige shook her head. "Mom, what happened?" she asked. "Where's Spinner?" She saw the look her parents passed between them. "What?" she asked.  
  
"When you were leaving the restaurant, your car was hit by a truck," Mr. Michalchuk explained gently. "It wasn't your fault, there was no way you could have avoided the accident, but both you and Spinner were unconscious when the paramedics finally got to you."  
  
"Where's Spinner?" she asked again.  
  
"He's in surgery," Mr. Mason said carefully. He didn't want to go into any details, and Paige could see that, but she pressed ahead anyways.  
  
"Is he going to be okay? Why is he in surgery? How long has he been there? How long have I been asleep?" The questions all tumbled out before she could stop them.  
  
"All we know is that they were operating to stop some internal bleeding," Mrs. Michalchuk answered. "And he's been in surgery for a couple of hours, but that's very common."  
  
"Is he going to be okay?" Paige asked again.   
  
Mrs. Michalchuk looked at her husband and asked him to go get an update from the Masons, which he did.  
  
"Honey, how do you feel?" she asked, leaning over to kiss her cheek. "Does your head hurt? Do you want some water?"  
  
Paige shook her head. "How badly am I hurt?" she asked.  
  
"You were lucky," her mom said, squeezing her hand. "You have a few cuts and bruises, a concussion, and your ribs are bruised from where your seat belt hit. However, the doctors would like to keep you here for a few days, just in case.  
  
Paige nodded. "He's going to be okay, right mom?" she asked.  
  
Mrs. Michalchuk smiled and nodded simply. "Of course he is sweetie. Of course he is." She cleared her throat. "Now, you need to rest still. Do you want me to stay with you? Good, because I wasn't planning on going anywhere anyways. Now, I'm just going to go tell your doctor that you're awake and I'll be right back."  
  
Paige stared at the wall, for lack of anything better to look at. She hated hospitals. The last time she had been in one was when Dean had attacked her just after she got back to Canada. And the only time she had been in the hospital previous to that, was when she was being tested for STDs and everything, after the rape. She grimaced at the memories and closed her eyes. Hopefully she wouldn't be in the hospital for very long.   
  
Her mom came back in and told her that while Spinner was still in surgery, everything was going fine and he would be out soon. Though her mother's words sounded confident, Paige could see the worry in her eyes and knew better. For her mother's sake though, she went along with what she said and closed her eyes to try and sleep.  
  
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"What do you mean, he's not awake yet?" Paige asked, her voice rising. "What's wrong? What aren't you telling me?" It was nearly 8 hours later, and while he had been out of surgery for almost as long, Spinner still wasn't awake.  
  
"Paige, you need to calm down," Mr. Michalchuk said. "We're not holding anything back from you. You know everything that we do."  
  
"I don't believe you!" Paige didn't even try to not cry. "Something is seriously wrong and I want to know what it is!" She winced and felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. The medication had worn off and she was in a lot of pain, but she wasn't worried about that right now.  
  
Mrs. Michalchuk saw her discomfort. "Paige, please. Spinner is going to be okay. He's in recovery; he just hasn't woken up yet, is all. But you can't just worry about him, okay, you need to take care of yourself too, you know."   
  
Paige shook her head. "As long as I'm awake, and he's not, I'm going to worry about him. I'm fine." She coughed and doubled over in pain.  
  
Mrs. Michalchuk sighed. "I'll go get a nurse so she can give you some more medication, okay?"  
  
"Will you check on Spinner too?"  
  
She nodded and left the room. Shortly, a nurse came into the room.  
  
"And how are you feeling, Miss Michalchuk?" he asked, checking her chart.  
  
"A little sore," she said truthfully.   
  
"I bet you are. Ah, you were in the truck and car accident over on Front Street, right?"  
  
Paige nodded. "Can you tell me anything about my fiancé?" she asked. "Gavin Mason? He's in recovery right now."  
  
The nurse nodded. "I was just up there," he said.   
  
"Is he okay? Is he awake yet?"  
  
The nurse shook his head. "Not yet, but that's common in cases like this."  
  
"Cases like what?"  
  
"Heavy internal bleeding and blunt trauma to the head. His body needs time to recover, and it's easier to do so if he's asleep. He'll wake up soon though." As he talked, he was preparing a syringe of pain medicine.  
  
"Blunt trauma?" Paige's eyes widened. "What kind of trauma?" she asked. She hardly felt the needle prick her arm.  
  
"Miss Michalchuk, your fiancé nearly went through the windshield upon impact. There is some swelling around his brain, but it should go away quickly." The nurse stopped and looked at her. "Nobody's told you any of this?"  
  
She shook her head. "No," she whispered. "Can you do me a favor?" she asked.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"If you hear anything, can you let me know?" He nodded. "Thank you," she said. Whatever medication he had given her certainly was working quickly, as the pain in her abdomen had now subsided to a dull ache.  
  
Her mom came back into the room. "I just saw Mrs. Mason," she said, sitting down next to her. "And she said to tell you not to worry, that Spinner is doing as well as can be expected and should be awake shortly."  
  
"And what about the swelling?" Paige asked.  
  
Her mother sighed. "Honey, I didn't tell you about that because I didn't want you to worry anymore than you already are. Yes, Spinner hit his head very hard, and there is some swelling, but the doctors don't think there's going to be any permanent damage."  
  
"How can they know that when he's not even awake?" Paige asked. She tried to get out of bed. "I want to see him," she said.  
  
"Paige, honey you can't. You're not even supposed to be out of bed yet. You can see him as soon as he's awake."  
  
"I need to see him now," she insisted. She couldn't get out of bed, it hurt too much. She hit her fist against the mattress out of frustration and started crying again.  
  
"Okay, okay," Mrs. Michalchuk murmured, pulling her daughter into an embrace. "Sweetie, calm down, please."  
  
"I want to see him Mom. I need to see that he's okay. Please."   
  
"I'll see what I can do. But you have to promise me that after you see he's okay, you're going to get some rest, okay?"  
  
Paige nodded and smiled. "I promise," she said.   
  
Almost half an hour later, her mom came back, with a big smile on her face.   
  
"Is he awake?" Paige asked immediately.  
  
"No, not yet honey. But I do have some good news for you."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Instead of taking you to see Spinner, the doctors have agreed to bring him here," Mrs. Michalchuk said.   
  
"What?"  
  
"Instead of being moved to a private room, Spinner is going to be moved into here, so that the 2 of you can be together."  
  
Paige smiled, the first real smile since she had woken up in the hospital. "Where is he?" she asked.  
  
"They're getting ready to move him as we speak." As soon as she was done talking, the door opened and Mrs. Mason came in.  
  
"Paige, I'm so happy you're okay!" she said, leaning down and giving her a hug. "I'm sorry I wasn't down here sooner to see you, but well-"  
  
"No, you needed to be with Spinner, it's okay," Paige said. "Where is he? Mom said they're bringing him in here?"  
  
"They're on their way right now." Paige noticed how tired Mrs. Mason looked and that's when she knew just how serious everything really was.  
  
Paige gasped when they finally wheeled Spinner in and she saw him. His face was bruised and there were bandages on his head. He looked peaceful though, she noticed.  
  
"Can you help me out of bed so I can be closer?" Paige asked. She smiled as both Mr. Michalchuk and Mr. Mason helped her out of her bed and onto Spinner's bed. The parents left them alone in the room.  
  
The silence was too much for Paige. She reached out and touched a spot on his forehead that wasn't covered in bandages. His skin was warm. "You have to wake up Hon," she whispered, running a hand through his hair. "I really need you to wake up. And soon." She tried to keep her voice light and teasing, but she couldn't stop it from wavering. She held his hand and stared at him for a long time. She waited for his eyes to open, but they didn't. Sighing, she bent down and carefully kissed his cheek. Then, she arranged herself around him so that she was lying next to him, but carefully enough so that neither of them would be uncomfortable. The rise and fall of his chest, along with the sound of his light breathing was enough to relax Paige and soon enough, she was asleep. 


	15. A Loss

Author's Note ~ Wow! Thanks for all the great reviews everyone!! I really appreciate it! And once more, nope, I don't own Degrassi.  
  
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"Paige?" Mrs. Michalchuk poked her head into the room. "Honey, you're all set to go now."  
  
Paige looked up from where she was sitting. "10 minutes Mom. Please?" Mrs. Michalchuk nodded and shut the door again.  
  
Paige turned back to Spinner. It was 2 days later, and while Paige was being released from the hospital, Spinner still hadn't woken up. The doctors never came outright and used the term coma, but Paige couldn't think of anything else that could be wrong. All everyone kept telling her was that his body needed to heal, and by staying unconscious, he would heal faster.  
  
"Hey," she said, picking his hand up again. "So here's the deal Hon. I'm leaving. You know me and hospitals; we don't go well together. The thing is though, as long as you're here, I'm going to have to keep coming back. And since you know it's always about me, how about you wake up and get out of this hospital too, so I don't have to spend any more time here?" She paused and stared at him a moment, trying to will him to wake up. When he didn't respond, she just kept talking. "You've always been here for me Spinner. Whenever I needed you, you were right there. And now, you need me, and I'm falling apart." She stopped and cleared her throat. "Here's the deal Spinner. I need you. I don't think I can be happy without you again, and honestly, I don't care to find out if I can. Please, please just wake up." She saw her mother out in the hallway, waiting patiently. "Okay, I have to go. Mom's making me go home to sleep in my bed for tonight. She thinks I'll be better rested or something. But I promise you; I'm going to be back as soon as I can. Everyone's telling me I won't be able to come back tonight and stay with you, but they obviously forget that whatever I want, I get, so, I will see you in a few hours. And I really want you to be awake when I come back, so how about you work on that for me." She leaned down and pressed her lips against his. "I love you," she whispered.   
  
She left the hospital room and smiled at her mom and Spinner's mom. "You'll call me if he wakes up?" she asked.  
  
"Of course I will. Now, you go home and take care of yourself. Get some rest, okay?" Mrs. Mason asked.  
  
"I will," she promised, hugging the woman. She and her mom left the hospital and headed back to her parents' house.   
  
Once there, Paige climbed the stairs to her room and crawled into bed. She was dead tired, she couldn't deny that. And her bed felt so good compared to the one at the hospital. Within minutes, she was fast asleep.  
  
She had no idea what time she woke up, but it was dark out. She sat up straight in bed, wincing in pain as she did so. She managed to get of bed and went downstairs.  
  
"Why did you let me sleep so long?" she asked, finding her mother in the den.  
  
"Because you needed your sleep. I checked on you 4 or 5 times, and not once had you moved into a different position. You were sleeping and I wasn't about to wake you."  
  
"Has Mrs. Mason called?"  
  
"I spoke with her a few hours ago, there wasn't any change. Are you hungry Paige?"  
  
"No. As soon as I change my clothes, will you take me back to the hospital?" Paige wasn't allowed to drive because of the pain medication she was on.  
  
"Paige, visiting hours ended a little while ago. I'll take you first thing in the morning," Mrs. Michalchuk promised.  
  
"Mom, I'm going back to the hospital tonight. I have to. I promised Spinner I'd be back." She stared hard at her mother. "And if you don't drive me, I will find someone else who will."   
  
Before her mother could say anything the phone rang and Paige snatched it up. "Michalchuk residence," she said.  
  
"Paige, he's waking up." Mrs. Mason's voice was bright and cheerful.  
  
"He is?" Paige's eyes opened wide. "Is he okay?"  
  
"He's not fully awake yet, so the doctors haven't been able to determine anything yet, but Paige, he opened his eyes."  
  
"I'm on my way," Paige said, hanging the phone up. She looked at her mom happily. "Mom, he's waking up," she said. "Please, drive me there?"  
  
Traffic was terrible and it took nearly an hour to get to the hospital. Paige practically flew up to the 18th floor.  
  
Mrs. Mason came out of the room, her eyes red-rimmed from crying.  
  
"What's wrong?" Paige asked immediately. "Is he awake?"  
  
Mrs. Mason nodded. "He is. He's fully conscious," she said.  
  
"But that's good news," Paige said. "Isn't it? Mrs. Mason, why are you crying?"  
  
"Oh sweetie." She sighed, and put her hand on Paige's arm. "He's awake, but well," she hesitated before continuing. "Paige, he doesn't remember a lot of things. He remembers his name, and who his father and I am-"  
  
"But he remembers me, right?" Paige asked. "I mean, he knows who I am?"  
  
Mrs. Mason shook her head. "No sweetheart. He doesn't remember being engaged." Paige's heart sank and she closed her eyes, not believing what she was hearing. She could hear Mrs. Mason talking, but couldn't quite distinguish the words. Something about short term and expecting to recover quickly.  
  
"Can I see him?" she asked. She followed Mrs. Mason into the hospital room.  
  
Spinner was sitting up in bed. Paige had never been happier to see his eyes than she was right now.  
  
"Gavin?" Mrs. Mason gently pushed Paige forward. "Honey, someone's here to see you."  
  
Spinner looked up at them. Paige tried to cover her disappointment when she saw that he didn't recognize her.  
  
"I told you about her a little while ago," Mrs. Mason continued. "This is Paige."  
  
He nodded. "I thought it might be."  
  
Mrs. Mason squeezed Paige's hand. "I'll leave you 2 alone for awhile. I'll be right outside if you need me." She closed the door behind her.  
  
Paige approached the bed gingerly, unsure of how to act. "How are you feeling?" she asked.  
  
He shrugged. "Pretty crappy actually. I don't know if you've ever had memory loss, but it sucks a lot."  
  
Paige smiled, amused that he was making jokes. "I can't say I have, but I can imagine." She sat down next to him. "I've been waiting for you to wake up for a few days now, it's good to hear your voice again."  
  
"Yeah. Mom said you were here nonstop." He looked at her for a long time. "Were you in the car with me?"  
  
She nodded. "Sure was."  
  
"Were you hurt badly?" He reached up and touched a cut on her face lightly.   
  
She closed her eyes as his hand touched her skin. She shook her head slightly. "I got lucky," she said. "Just a concussion and some broken ribs."  
  
"Good. We don't both need to be in this shape." He kept looking at her. "So I hear we're engaged?"  
  
"We sure are," she said, smiling. "Almost 4 months now."  
  
"Wow, not long at all." He picked up her hand and looked at the ring. "Did I buy this, or did you pick it out?"  
  
"Oh, you found it all on your own," she said. "Completely surprised me with the proposal too."  
  
"Have we dated long?"  
  
Paige laughed. "Actually, we weren't even really dating when you proposed to me," she said. She explained their story to him. (Author's note ~ for those of you that don't remember my version of how they got together, read Coming Home!! Lol @ my shameless plug)  
  
"Wow," he said, smiling at her. "I guess I got pretty lucky then. And apparently, I have really good taste, because you're beautiful."  
  
Paige blushed. "Believe me, I'm the lucky one," she said softly. She took a deep breath. "I'm so happy to see you awake," she said honestly. "I've been so worried." Her voice caught in her throat. "I was so scared that-" she stopped and regained her composure. "It doesn't matter now that I was scared, all that matters is that you're okay now." Before she could stop herself, she had leaned down and hugged him as tightly as possible.  
  
This kind of took him by surprise, but he recovered and hugged her back. He felt extremely bad when he noticed she was crying, and he wasn't quite sure on how to handle it. So he just kept hugging her, his hand making small circles over her back.  
  
Finally, she pulled away, a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't be crying, and you probably weren't expecting the hug."  
  
"No, it's okay," he said, smiling. "And the hug was nice."  
  
She blushed. "You must be tired," she said.  
  
"You'd think that after being out for so long, I'd be wide awake," he said, yawning. "But I am a little tired."  
  
Paige nodded. "Okay, I-I'll go so you can get some sleep," she said, standing up.  
  
"Wait!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her back over to the bed. "You don't have to go. I mean would you stay?"  
  
Paige smiled. "Of course I will," she said. "Can I get you anything? Some juice or water?"  
  
He shook his head. "No, I'm fine. Could you tell me something though?"  
  
"What's that?"  
  
He grinned. "I have some sort of cool nickname right? I mean, my name's Gavin. I couldn't have made it through high school with that name."  
  
Paige laughed. "Everybody calls you Spinner," she said. "And anytime I try to call you Gavin, you tickle me."  
  
"I knew it. Cool nickname." He leaned back against the pillows. "So what else can you tell me?"  
  
"What else do you want to know?" For the next hour or so, Paige told Spinner about their friends, and about his family, and anything else he asked her. Finally, she convinced him that he needed his rest. He made her promise to stay there until he fell asleep and she did so, promising that she would be there in the morning when he woke up.  
  
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Author's Note ~ Hmm... Were any of you think that "A Loss" might mean Spinner died? As if!!! There's no way I could ever do that to my Spinner! Lucky for us, it's just a memory loss...now the question is, how permanent is it, and how will it affect the wedding?? As always, reviews and criticism are always welcomed, and honestly, kind of demanded * giggle * And oh, by the way...I'm in no way a medical expert, so if I make up some stuff along the way, please just go along with it!!! 


	16. A Little Bit of Drama

Hey everyone, sorry it took awhile to get this chapter up, but here it is!! Hope you enjoy it!!!  
  
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Paige was about to enter Spinner's hospital room when an orderly stopped her.  
  
"Miss? You can't go in there."  
  
"Why not? Is something wrong? Did something happen?" Even now, nearly 3 weeks after the accident, Paige was still fearful something bad would happen to Spinner.  
  
The orderly shook his head. "Nothing's the matter. But only family is allowed in there."  
  
Paige laughed. "Since when?" she asked.  
  
"Since last night. At his family's request, only family allowed."  
  
"Hon, you're new to this floor. But I am family. I'm his fiancé, so if you'll excuse me." She tried to open the door again but the orderly stood in her way.  
  
"I'm sorry Miss, but only his parents and his sister are allowed in there. I wasn't told of any fiancé."  
  
Paige was getting angry. "Who the hell made this request anyways?" she asked. "And let me talk to Spinner's doctor, he'll tell you I'm allowed in there!" She was practically yelling, but she didn't care.  
  
Mrs. Mason came out of Spinner's room. "What's going on out here? Paige, what's the matter?"  
  
"Why can't I see Spinner?" Paige asked, quieter this time.   
  
"What? What on Earth are you talking about? Of course you can see Spinner."  
  
"Mrs. Mason, the only people I'm allowed to let in this room are you, your husband and your daughter," the orderly said.  
  
"Could you just go away? Please?" Paige glared at the orderly.   
  
"Who told you that?" Mrs. Mason questioned the orderly.  
  
"Your husband, ma'am."  
  
"I see." Mrs. Mason looked back into the hospital room. "Paige, he's just waking up from a nap now, why don't you go in there and talk to him while I go find my husband." She turned to the orderly. "As for whatever my husband may have told you, Paige is allowed in that room, regardless of visiting hours and everything else barring anyone else from the room, if she wants to go in, you look the other way. Understood?"  
  
Paige opened the door quietly and walked in, still unsure of why Mr. Mason didn't want her in the room. "Well you look good today!" she said brightly. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"I want out of here," Spinner said, smiling. He motioned her over to the bed. "So what did you bring me today?" Every day, since he woke up, Paige brought him something new; something she hoped would trigger a memory. So far, nothing had worked, but she wasn't going to stop anytime soon.  
  
Paige grinned and sat down on the foot of the bed. "I can't believe I'm even bringing this up, because there was a time I prayed you would forget about it completely," she said.  
  
"Well, prayers answered." Spinner smiled. "What is it?"  
  
Paige pulled a can out of her purse and held it up.  
  
Spinner stared at it for a moment. "Spray cheese?" he asked finally.  
  
Paige nodded. "Yep. Spray cheese."  
  
"Okay, I don't get it." He took the can and looked at it again. "Did you bring crackers too?"  
  
She laughed. "Nope. So you don't remember?" He shook his head. "Oh, your mom's going to be so thrilled that I'm re-teaching you this." She took the can back from him. "When we were in school, you used to challenge anyone who would agree to a spray cheese contest. The object? To see who could spray all of the cheese into their mouth and eat the entire can the fastest."  
  
"That's disgusting," Spinner said.  
  
"You have no idea," Paige agreed. "But yet you did it at every party, and me, being the good girlfriend, would congratulate you every time you won. Which was every time, by the way."  
  
"People actually would challenge me?"  
  
"Amazing, isn't it?" Paige laughed. "So what do you say? Wanna give it a try?" She held up a second can of cheese. "Now keep in mind, I've never, ever done this before. And if you tell anyone that I did, I'll deny it."  
  
"You're serious?" Spinner looked at her strangely. "You really want to do this?"  
  
Paige nodded. "Well, no not really. But I will."  
  
"Hmm. Okay, let's do it." He watched as she shook the can. He waited until she had the can to her mouth and held up his hand. "I'm just joking, we don't have to do this," he said, laughing.  
  
"Thank you," she said laughing. "Because I didn't think I was going to be able to do it."  
  
"Well it was sweet of you to attempt to." Spinner nodded towards the other package on the bed. "So what's that?"  
  
"Aren't you the impatient one?" Paige grinned and handed over the box. "This is actually something I was working on, as a present to give you the night before our wedding, but I think that now's a better time to do it instead."  
  
He lifted the top off the box and pulled out a photo album. "What's this?"  
  
She smiled and inched closed to him so she could explain. "It's a photo album silly. But it's also pretty much the story of us." She opened it to the first page. "This is our first official picture together. "Pre-kindergarten graduation. We were forced to sit next to each other because we were seated alphabetically by last name. We didn't so much like each other back then though."  
  
"Why not?"   
  
"Because you always used to hide the pink paint on me in class," she admitted. "You and Jimmy thought it was the funniest thing ever." She paused. "And you also pulled my hair all the time."  
  
"Aww, I'm sorry."  
  
She laughed. "I got over it." She flipped a few pages forward. "And this was our end of the year dance in grade 9."  
  
Spinner squinted at the picture. "Why do we look orange?" he asked.  
  
"Because I made you go tanning and you freaked out and tried to use a tanning lotion, and I spent too much time in the tanner and got burned." She flipped a few pages more. "And this was Senior Prom."  
  
"King and Queen, eh?" he asked.  
  
"Of course. It was no question we would win." She smiled. "We weren't dating at that time, but we were still really good friends and were each other's date anyways."  
  
Spinner flipped back to the first picture. "You were a cute little girl," he said.  
  
"Yeah, and you were breaking hearts way back then." She looked up at him. They were inches away from kissing when the door opened.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
Paige looked up, the moment broken. "Mr. Mason, Mrs. Mason is looking for you."  
  
"I'm pretty sure I told the staff that you weren't allowed in here anymore," Mr. Mason said, ignoring her.  
  
"Mrs. Mason said I could come in." She stood up. "But why? Why don't you want me seeing Spinner? And shouldn't that be his choice?"  
  
Mr. Mason stared at her. "How could he make a choice like that with his condition? I made the decision for him. I don't think it's a very good idea for you to be spending so much time here, filling his head with your own version of what he doesn't remember."  
  
"My own version?"  
  
"It must be pretty easy right now, isn't it Paige? To use my son's memory loss to your advantage?"  
  
"What are you talking about? Mr. Mason, I haven't done anything of the sort!" Paige was confused.  
  
"Oh no? Have you told him the complete truth about everything?" Mr. Mason asked.   
  
"I haven't held anything back from him."  
  
"Right. So then he knows everything? How about how this engagement was almost called off? Does he know you cheated on him? How about the rape? Does he know about the fact that you blew him off to be with another guy, and how you paid for it? Does he know that the only reason he's even in this hospital is because you arranged for all of us to meet at the restaurant that night in the first place? How about the fact that you haven't told him any of this so that he could think that you're the perfect girlfriend, who never messed up anything?"   
  
Paige felt like she had been slapped in the face. "I had no idea you thought so little of me," she said, her voice almost a whisper. She looked at Spinner. "I might not have told you any of that, but I wasn't holding it back intentionally. I haven't lied to you and I never would."  
  
"Is everything Dad said true?" Spinner asked.  
  
Paige nodded. "Yes, but I wanted you to remember the good things before the bad. I promise I wasn't holding back or lying on purpose."  
  
He looked at her for a long time. Then he looked at his dad.   
  
Paige looked down at her feet. Of course he was going to believe his father over her. If she were in his same situation, she would of course believe her parents above everyone else.  
  
"I should probably go," she said, seeing as how no one else was speaking. She faced Mr. Mason first though. "But before I go, I do need to say this. I would never take advantage of Spinner because of his memory loss. Just like he never took advantage of me after my attack, or any other time. And if that's all you can think of when you see me, then I have to wonder if you were telling the truth when you gave us your blessing for the wedding. And to blame me for causing the accident?" Paige couldn't finish her sentence, but ran out of the room crying.  
  
When she got back to her parents she was relieved to see no one else was home. She had been staying there since she had gotten out of the hospital; she hadn't wanted to stay at the apartment.  
  
Paige took a few shaky breaths and tried to calm herself down. Had Mr. Mason been right? Had she purposely not told Spinner any of the bad things because she wanted him to think she was perfect? Had she hoped he would never remember any of the things she had done?  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The next day, Paige was getting ready to go out when the doorbell rang. Forgetting her mom wasn't home, she didn't bother going downstairs to answer it, until the doorbell rang again."  
  
"Coming!" she called, making her way down the stairs. Her ribs were almost healed, but sometimes she was still a little sore. She was shocked when she answered the door. "Hi," she said.  
  
"Hey," Spinner smiled at her shyly. "Last person you were expecting to see?"  
  
She nodded. "Not an unpleasant surprise though." She closed the door behind him. "What are you doing out of the hospital?" she asked.  
  
"Released this morning. Mom thinks I'm sleeping." He grinned.  
  
"How did you know where I lived?" she asked.  
  
"Map quest." Spinner looked at her for a moment. "I owe you an apology," he said, finally.  
  
She shook her head. "No you don't," she said. "If anything, I should tell you I'm sorry." They sat down on the couch.  
  
"But you didn't do anything wrong Paige," he said. "I mean, my dad was telling me all this stuff about you, and when you would come visit, you didn't even hint at any of it, so I didn't know what to think. I didn't know who to believe, but why would my own dad lie to me? And I was hoping you wouldn't lie to me." He paused. "When my dad said all those things to you yesterday and I saw the look on your face, I guess I knew that you weren't the one lying to me."  
  
"Your dad wasn't lying either though," she said, looking down at her hands. "I didn't tell you about any of that stuff."  
  
"But why would you? After you left yesterday, I thought about it. I thought about what I would tell you and what I wouldn't if we were in each other's shoes right now. And you're right, I'd have wanted you to remember everything good first."  
  
Paige smiled softly. "Why are you still so sweet?" she asked.  
  
Spinner just shrugged. "You must bring that out in me," he replied. And then, he leaned forward and kissed her.  
  
Paige was too stunned to move. She had waited so long for him to get to the point where he was comfortable enough to do this and now that they were there, she couldn't believe it.  
  
And then he pulled away and looked at her strangely. "Okay, here's the thing," he said, mimicking her favorite saying. "I just kissed you. And you sat there and did absolutely nothing. Now, I'm going to believe that you haven't been kissed in almost a month, and I'm sorry, but I was expecting a little more enthusiasm and participation. So I'm going to try once more, and let's see if you can act like you enjoy it." And he kissed her again, and this time she kissed him back.   
  
Finally, they broke apart from each other. "Well, you definitely don't disappoint in the kissing department," Spinner said, grinning at her.  
  
Paige laughed. "You aren't so bad either," she admitted.  
  
"Okay, you know what? We're going out on a date tonight," he declared.  
  
"What?"  
  
"A date. I mean, I need to get back into this whole relationship thing if we're going to be married." He smiled at the look on her face. "What? You think I'm going to let some stupid thing like amnesia stop me from marrying you?"  
  
"Why don't we just concentrate on the date for now?" She asked.  
  
"Sounds good. How about I pick you up here around seven?" he asked.  
  
"It's a date. Where are we going?"  
  
"That's a surprise," he said. "But, I should get back to the house before my mom realizes I'm gone." Paige walked him to the front door. "I'll see you at 7 then?"  
  
She nodded. "Can't wait." She smiled as he leaned down and kissed her again.  
  
And then he was gone and realization hit Paige hard. She and Spinner were going on a date. And to Spinner, this was going to be their first date.  
  
Paige had never been more nervous in her life.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Okay, so I know it seems weird that suddenly the Dad's so upset, but trust me, it plays out later in the story....I don't think I've let any of you down yet!! 


	17. Dinner and a Movie

Author's Note ~ Aren't you lucky? 2 chapters in one day! Hope you enjoy them!!  
  
"How many times do you plan on changing your outfit?" Mrs. Michalchuk asked, an amused grin on her face.  
  
"Depends, how much longer til he gets here?" Paige asked. It was almost 7 and she was still nervous about going out with Spinner.  
  
The doorbell rang. Mrs. Michalchuk laughed when Paige jumped. "Do you need me to tell him you'll be a few minutes while you change again or no?"  
  
"No." Paige stuck her tongue out at her mom. "I'll see you later." She kissed her cheek and headed downstairs and out the door.  
  
"Hey," she said, smiling at him. "Right on time."  
  
"Hey yourself." He held out a bouquet of flowers. "For you." He looked at her shyly, a look that made Paige melt. "I was trying to figure out what kind of flowers would be your favorite, and I almost went with traditional red roses, but then I thought, from what I've learned in the past 3 weeks, there's nothing traditional about us. So I decided on pink ones instead. Pink ones are okay, right?"  
  
Paige kissed him on the cheek. "Absolutely perfect," she said. "So where are we going?" she asked as they got into the car.  
  
"You'll see when we get there." Automatically, Paige was playing with the radio, trying to find a station to listen to. She flipped continuously.  
  
"Do you do that all the time?" Spinner asked, looking at her sideways.  
  
"Yes I do," she said, still flipping. She smiled triumphantly when she heard a familiar song. She started singing along, partly hoping to get a rise out of Spinner.  
  
"So what, so I've got a smile on, it's only hiding the quiet superstitions in my head."  
  
Spinner made a face. "Okay, I'm sorry, but that song sounds lame."  
  
"You would think so," Paige said laughing. "But deal with it." She finished singing the song and then changed the station.  
  
Soon they were at the restaurant. "Is this place okay?" They were at a cozy little Italian place just outside of town.  
  
"It's great," Paige said, as they went inside. "How did you hear about it?"  
  
He laughed. "Asked my mom." They were seated outside on the balcony. "Is this okay? Are you warm enough?"  
  
Paige laughed and held up her hand. "I'm fine," she promised. "And I could get used to this new side of you Spin, be careful."  
  
"What, am I some sort of insensitive jerk?" he asked. "Because I can act that way if you want."  
  
Paige shook her head. "You're not a jerk by any means. But you're not always this concerned about things like if I'm too cold or anything like that. And I've been trying to teach you to be think that way forever."  
  
"Good to know." They ordered dinner and talked a little bit. Paige could see something was bothering Spinner though.  
  
"So what's on your mind sweetpea?" she asked halfway through dessert.  
  
He shook his head. "Something you probably don't want to talk about at dinner," he said.  
  
"Ask away," she said. "Really, I won't mind."  
  
He paused. "It's about something my dad said yesterday."  
  
"Your dad said a lot of things."  
  
He nodded. "I know. But the one in particular." He hesitated. "Paige, you were raped?"  
  
She looked down at the tablecloth and nodded. "Grade 9," she said. "You and I were supposed to hang out one night, but when another guy, who was older and from another school asked me to go to a party I lied and told you I couldn't go out. Well, I went to the party and he raped me." She looked up at Spinner.   
  
"I'm sorry," he said.  
  
"Me too," she said truthfully. She bit her lip as she thought of something. "You know what though? In a way, the rape is what brought us back together and led to our engagement." She briefly described the night she had her 2nd encounter with Dean and the following weeks up to their engagement.  
  
Spinner looked at her. "You're amazing," he said finally. "I can't believe how luck I've been to have you in my life."  
  
She shook her head. "Trust me, I'm the lucky one."  
  
"Are you scared?" He asked.  
  
"Scared? Of what?"  
  
He looked down at his plate. "Scared that I'm never going to remember you," he said quietly.  
  
Paige looked at him for a long time, before shaking her head and smiling at him. "I'm not scared Spin," she said. She paused, trying to find the right words for what she was feeling.  
  
"I've always come back to you Spin," she said finally. "From the beginning, when I broke that first date of ours and ended up at that party with Dean, eventually, I found myself learning to trust guys again because of you. And then we broke up but still stayed friends. And after graduation when I moved away, we stopped talking. And that hurt me a lot. I'm not sure how it affected you, but if it was even close to the way I was feeling, then words couldn't tell you how sorry I am for that. But then, I came back here for what was supposed to be a 2-week vacation and then everything happened and wham! Back to you again." She smiled. "I've always come back to you," she repeated softly. "And I have all of the faith in the world that you're going to come back to me."  
  
Spinner reached over and picked up her hand. "I won't let you down," he said.  
  
She laughed, mostly to cover her tears. "I didn't think you would."  
  
"Come on, let's get out of here," he said.   
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
"You don't like being surprised, do you?" he asked, as they got into the car.  
  
"So you've noticed." She sat silently a few minutes before realizing they were heading to the apartment.  
  
She definitely wasn't expecting what she saw when he opened the door to the apartment. The entire living room was lit with candles. "And who did this?" she asked, looking around.  
  
"That doesn't matter." He shut the door behind them. "I just figured a little bit of romance and alone time was due."  
  
"You're never going to cease to amaze me Spinner," she said, walking into the living room. "It's perfect." She smiled as he walked up and put his arms around her. They kissed for a little while and then Spinner pulled away.   
  
"Okay, so I listened to everything you told me while I was in the hospital. And you told me your favorite nights were the ones when we stayed home and watched a movie. Pick out a movie Michalchuk."  
  
She looked at him. "What did you just call me?" she asked.  
  
He looked at her blankly. "Michalchuk," he repeated. "What, did I screw up your last name?"  
  
"No," she said shaking her head. "Why did you call me that?"  
  
He shrugged. "I don't know. Does it bother you?"  
  
She shook her head quickly. "No, not at all. Just took me by surprise, that's all." She took a deep breath. "So, any movie I want?"   
  
"Any movie you want," he said.  
  
"Hmm." She studied her choices, finally deciding on one of their old favorites. "How about this one? We used to watch it at least once a week," she said, showing him the movie.  
  
He looked at it. "Cruel Intentions?" He shrugged. "Sounds good." He set up the DVD and looked at Paige. "Now what?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
He grinned. "Do we have a system for watching movies or something? And specific junk food, or lighting arrangements?"  
  
"The candlelight is nice," she said.   
  
"Okay, well where do we usually watch the movies from? The floor? The couch?"  
  
"The couch," she said, sitting down on it. She waited for him to sit next to her, but he just stood there. "What?"  
  
"How do we do this then? Do we sit next to each other? On opposite sides of the couch, what?"  
  
Paige smiled. "You really are trying, aren't you?" she asked. "All right then, come on over here." She stood up and pushed him down on the couch. "You lie there, yep, just like that. Hang on, I'll be right back." She went into the kitchen and sure enough, there was a bottle of champagne left in the fridge. She grabbed 2 glasses and headed back to the living room. She settled herself on the couch, resting in between Spinner's legs so that they were both comfortably lying on the couch and then poured them each a glass of champagne.  
  
"You comfortable?" she asked, craning her neck to look back at him.  
  
"Yeah but there's no place for me to put my arms except here," he said, wrapping his arms around her so his hands were resting on her stomach.  
  
She giggled. "I think that's probably what you were thinking when we started watching movies like this," she said.   
  
"Wow, I'm a smart guy then," he said. He started the movie and they watched it for a while.  
  
For the first time since the accident, Paige forgot about Spinner not remembering anything. She could feel his breath on her hair, and just being there, watching a movie like they used to was enough to make her forget.  
  
"So we've seen this movie a lot?" Spinner asked, his voice low.  
  
Paige nodded. "Ever since grade school, why?"  
  
"Well, since it's not something we haven't seen, how long does it take before we forget the movie is even on?" He used his hands to turn her around so she was facing him.  
  
She smiled. "Honestly? About 20 minutes ago."   
  
"Funny, because that's when I started to think about things other than the movie." He leaned forward and kissed her. "Is that okay?"  
  
She nodded, kissing him back. "Definitely," she murmured. And soon enough, just like always, they forgot all about the movie.  
  
The next morning, it took Paige a second to realize where she was when she woke up. She was still on the couch and in Spinner's arms, and then the events of last night came back to her. She propped her head up and looked at his face.   
  
He was such an incredible guy, she realized. He had gone to so much trouble to make last night perfect, and he had been so sweet the whole night. And when they kissed, it was all Paige could do but drag him into the bedroom, but she knew they weren't ready for that again yet. So, instead, she happily spent the night making out like 2 teenagers. But the other thought had been tempting.  
  
Spinner was awake, but kept his eyes closed as he could tell Paige was looking at him. Last night had gone exactly as he had wanted it to, and he was hoping Paige enjoyed it as much as he had. It had taken a lot of willpower to control himself when he had been kissing her, but he was pretty sure they weren't ready for anything else just yet, although, he was pretty sure he could have handled it well.  
  
Finally, he opened his eyes. "Morning," he said.  
  
She smiled at him. "Good morning yourself," she said. "How did you sleep?"  
  
"Pretty good," he said truthfully. "Better than I thought I would on this couch anyways."  
  
"Yeah, same here." Honestly though, it was the best night of sleep Paige had since the accident. "But I should get going. I go back to work today," she said.  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure my parents are wondering why I am anyways." Spinner laughed. "Wow, I bet I never thought I'd be saying that at the age of 23."  
  
Paige laughed. "Seeing as how we're dealing with special circumstances, I won't make fun of you for it," she teased.  
  
"That's nice of you." They got up and Spinner drove her back to her parents.   
  
"So, will I see you later?" he asked, walking her up to the door.  
  
Paige nodded. "I'll stop by after work," she promised. She reached up and kissed him. "Last night was incredible," she said softly. "Thank you."  
  
"I'm only as good as my company," he said, brushing a strand of hair from her forehead. "I'll see you later." He kissed her again and took off.  
  
Paige smiled and watched him drive away before going into the house. He was coming back to her, she knew it.  
  
"Mom?" she called, opening the front door. "Do you have any plans for this afternoon? We still need to find the perfect wedding dress!"  
  
Aww!!!! Okay, I smiled while writing that chapter. And since I'm in SUCH a good mood.... hope for Spinner's memory to come back very soon, and of course, in a very sweet way!!! 


	18. Happy Birthday

Author's note ~ Thanks for all the great reviews everyone! As usual, I don't own anything belonging to Degrassi.  
  
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Another 2 months had gone by and Spinner still hadn't regained his memory. Paige tried her best to be as understanding as possible, but it was hard. Sometimes all she wanted to do was scream and bang her head against the wall. She had tried everything she could possibly think of to get his memory back, but nothing was working.  
  
"Paige?" Mrs. Michalchuk stuck her head into the bedroom. "Oh, you are awake. Happy Birthday honey!"  
  
Paige stared at her mom blankly. She had completely forgotten her 23rd birthday. "Thanks mom," she said, smiling at her.  
  
"How are you doing?" Mrs. Michalchuk asked, sitting down. "Is everything okay?"  
  
Paige nodded and finished brushing her hair. "I'm fine," she said.  
  
"And how's Spinner?"  
  
"The same." Paige stared out the window. "He still doesn't remember anything."  
  
"You know," Mrs. Michalchuk began carefully. "No one would object to or think anything badly if you called the engagement off for now."  
  
Paige spun around. "Call off the engagement? Are you crazy?"  
  
"Honey, just until Spinner gets his memory back. Maybe it would be the best thing for everyone involved if you did take a break from Spinner."  
  
"Why?" Paige challenged. "How would that be a good thing?"  
  
"Maybe you're pushing too hard," her mom said gently. "Spinner's memory will come back when he's ready."  
  
"And what if it doesn't?" Paige asked. She looked her mom in the eye. "What if Spinner never remember anything? Then what Mom?"  
  
She continued speaking before Mrs. Michalchuk could answer. "Do you have any idea what it feels like? To look at the guy I love more than anything and know that he has no idea who I am? I'm a stranger to him and if he never gets his memory back, he might never fall in love with me the same way again. And if I call off the engagement or if I back off from him; then that's me giving up and I refuse to give up on him. I will not do it." She stormed past her mother and locked herself in the bathroom.  
  
"Yeah," she said, staring into the mirror. "Happy birthday to me."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Spinner, what are you doing here?" Paige asked, opening the front door. It was later that afternoon and Spinner was the last person she expected to see on her front step.  
  
He grinned at her. "I was bored so I came to see if you wanted to hang out with me for a bit. Maybe we could go get some ice cream or something?"  
  
Paige smiled and let him into the house. "Sure, let me go get my coat. I'll be right back." She grabbed her coat out of the front closet and went back into the living room. "I haven't seen you in a few days, how have you been?"  
  
"Yeah, I meant to call, I'm sorry. I was busy with doctor appointments and family stuff." Spinner leaned down and kissed her. "Forgive me?"  
  
Paige looked up at him curiously. Something was different, she noticed. "I guess I can forgive you this one time. Ready?"  
  
"Let's go."   
  
It was cold outside. Paige looked at Spinner and laughed. "How about we do something other than ice cream?" she suggested.  
  
All right then, how about hot chocolate and ice skating?"  
  
"Sounds fun, let's do it."  
  
Twenty minutes later they were at the ice rink. It was the beginning of winter, and lots of people were taking advantage of the weather and the rink was crowded.   
  
While they skated, Paige still couldn't shake the feeling that something was off with Spinner. He was much more confident than he had been the last few months. He was carrying himself differently too.   
  
Could it be? Paige studied his profile carefully. No, she told herself with a shake of her head, it wasn't possible. He hadn't even told her happy birthday, she was just imagining things.  
  
"You're staring," he said, smiling at her.  
  
"Can't help it, you're just so cute." She leaned over and kissed his nose. "How about that hot chocolate now? I'm cold."  
  
"Sure thing, come on." He pulled her over to the side of the rink. Bending down, he untied her skates and handed her shoes over to her. Then he put his own shoes on and went to get their drinks.  
  
He came back and they found a small bench to sit on. "This will warm you up," he said, handing her a Styrofoam cup.   
  
"Whipped cream and sprinkles?" she asked.  
  
"Is there any other way to drink hot chocolate?" He grinned and then stared at her for a long time.  
  
"Okay, now you're staring."   
  
Spinner shrugged. "Are you still cold?"  
  
Paige took a sip from the cup. "A little, but nothing I can't handle."  
  
"Well, we can't have you being cold." He handed her a small box, wrapped in pink paper with a bow.  
  
"What's this?" she asked.  
  
"Just open it."  
  
Paige looked at him once more before untying the ribbon and undoing the paper. She pulled out a blue cashmere scarf. Holding it in her hands she looked up at Spinner with a stunned look on her face.  
  
"We were 16," Spinner said, taking the scarf and wrapping it around her neck snugly. "And we were on our way to a class ski trip and we got into a fight on the bus and I threw your scarf out the window. You hit me pretty hard in the stomach and then stole my scarf for the rest of the trip." He continued speaking because Paige was speechless. "On the last night of the trip, I told you I was sorry and that you could keep my scarf until I replaced the one I threw out the window. That was also the first night I was brave enough to tell you I loved you." He leaned forward until their foreheads touched. "I finally found the exact scarf on a trip last summer, and was saving it for this winter. And what better time to give it to you, than on your birthday."  
  
"Spinner," she whispered. She reached up to touch his cheek.  
  
He only smiled at her. "And I can only assume that you've already guessed the second part of your birthday present," he whispered back.  
  
"You remember," she said softly. She held his face in her hands and looked into his eyes. "You remember me."  
  
"I remember everything," he said. "But most importantly, I remember everything about you." He leaned in and kissed her. "Happy birthday Babe."  
  
She pulled away only when she needed to breathe. "When? How?" she asked.  
  
"Two days ago. It's why I haven't been around much, I wanted to surprise you for your birthday and I knew I wouldn't be able to do that if I was around you. As for how, I don't know really. I woke up that morning and everything was there. Everything came back to me that suddenly."  
  
"Have you been to the doctor?"  
  
Spinner nodded. "Yes, and they told me that I've made a complete recovery."  
  
Paige squealed and threw her arms around his neck. "I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you!" she said, covering his face with little kisses.  
  
"Whoa, calm down there tiger," he said, holding her back at arms length. "We are in a public place you know."  
  
"Forget all that," Paige said, trying to kiss him again, but he still held her back. "Spin! Why are you being so mean?"  
  
"Because I haven't been able to do this in a long time," he said, finally releasing her hands. He stood up and pulled her up with him. "Come on," he said. "I've got a part 3 of your birthday present I'm dying to give you."  
  
"Is it something we can't do in a public place?" She asked, grinning.  
  
"Very much so, which is why I've rented us a very cozy room at a bed and breakfast just a few minutes from here. Race you to the car!"   
  
Hours later, when Spinner woke up, Paige was staring at him. "Love you and all honey, but waking up to you staring at me is really creepy," he said, yawning.  
  
"I still can't believe it," she said softly. She ran her hand through his hair. "You really do remember everything?"  
  
He nodded. "Everything. Want me to prove it to you? Ask me anything. Anything at all."  
  
She shook her head. "I believe you," she said. She snuggled up against him. "We have a lot of planning to do, you know that?" she asked.  
  
"Planning? Planning for what?"  
  
She elbowed him in the side. "Our wedding!" she said. "And if you even think of telling me that the wedding can wait, that we have all the time in the world, I'm going to hit you."  
  
Spinner grinned. "Would it make you feel better if I told you that I made an appointment for us to meet with a minister on Friday to discuss the ceremony?"  
  
Paige shook her head and smiled. "You really are amazing," she said. She closed her eyes and listened as Spinner fell back asleep. She herself finally drifted off to sleep, smiling, because it finally happened. Spinner had come back to her. 


	19. The Night Before

Author's Note ~ Seriously, to everyone who's reviewed so far - you all rock!! And while sadly, I'm reaching the end of this story, I can let you all know that I've been working on another Paige story (another overused plotline, but it doesn't involve rape) and also, I'm finally getting more ideas for You Shook Me All Night Long, so even after this story's done, I'll probably still be posting one to two times a week. Hopefully, they all turn out as well as this one is, and as Coming Home Did.  
  
On with the chapter.  
  
I don't own Degrassi by the way.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Paige was having serious deja vu.  
  
She and Spinner were getting ready in the bedroom exactly as they had the night of the accident.  
  
It had been 3 months since Spinner had gotten his memory back and they had moved back into their apartment. They had slipped back into their normal routines with little effort and the wedding planning had gone off without a hitch.   
  
Now here they were, the night before the wedding. They were getting ready to go to the church for rehearsal and then afterwards, Paige's parents and Mrs. Mason were hosting an engagement party for the 2 of them. The party had been planned for earlier in the engagement, but then had to be postponed due to the accident.  
  
Mr. Mason still wasn't accepting the wedding and still partly held Paige responsible for the accident. Spinner had tried once to get him to change his mind, but was still angry with his dad for what he had said when he was in the hospital. Spinner had decided that he didn't want his father at the wedding and was done trying to get him to change his mind. Paige never believed Spinner when he said this, and was trying to work with Mrs. Mason to get Mr. Mason to see their side of things, but so far, nothing had worked.  
  
"Paige, are you ready yet?" Spinner asked, sighing. "We have to be at the church in half an hour."  
  
Paige looked over her shoulder and winked. "I'll be ready when I'm ready," she said.  
  
"Well hurry up, this is one appointment we shouldn't be late for." The phone rang. "It's your mom," Spinner said, checking the caller ID.  
  
"Oh no! No, don't give me the phone!" Paige begged. "I can't talk to her again today. Please. You answer it."  
  
Although she loved her mom, Mrs. Michalchuk was driving Paige insane with every single wedding detail. She called at least 12 times a day to check on things like, how many candles did she want at each table during the reception, or what flowers should be arranged where. Paige couldn't take it anymore.  
  
"I'm not answering it," Spinner said. "The last time I talked to your mother she tried to tell me where to take you for the honeymoon."  
  
"And where are you taking me?"  
  
"You'll find out tomorrow night." The phone stopped ringing and they both sighed in relief.   
  
The phone rang again 3 seconds later.  
  
"Let's go!" Paige said, grabbing Spinner's hand and pulling him out of the bedroom. "We'll just tell her we left before she called."  
  
Out in the living room she sat down on the couch to put her shoes on, touched up her lipstick, and then she was ready. They were almost out the door when Paige paused, standing in the doorway.  
  
"What are you doing?" Spinner protested. "We're going to be late."  
  
"Just wait." Paige smiled and gestured into the apartment. "Do you realize that the next time I'm in this apartment, I'll be Mrs. Mason?" True to tradition, Paige and Spinner were spending the night apart.  
  
Spinner grinned and pulled her into his arms. "Do you think it will be any different?" he asked.  
  
Paige nodded. "I hope so anyways." She smiled and stood on tiptoe to kiss him lightly. "I love you, you know."  
  
"I thought you might. I love you too." He kissed her once more. "Now come on, we really are going to be late now."  
  
"Paige honey, I've been trying to get a hold of you forever now," Mrs. Michalchuk said, coming up to them the second they came into the church. "I spoke with the pianist earlier today and I think she has the wrong music for when you walk down the aisle and-"  
  
"Mom!" Paige held up her hand. She smiled and hugged her mom. "It's okay. I'm sure whatever the pianist plays is fine. Stop worrying." She winked. "It's too late to change anything anyways."  
  
The priest came in and after introductions they began the rehearsal. When they came to the part of the ceremony where they would exchange vows, they had to skip over it because they had decided to write their own vows and wanted to surprise each other with them the next day.  
  
The rehearsal went smoothly and afterwards, everyone was getting ready to head over to the country club for the engagement party.  
  
Paige stopped Spinner before they left the church. "Spin, would you be able to get a ride to the club with your mom or someone else, so I can use the car? I forgot something at the apartment."  
  
"Paige, whatever it is, I'm sure it's not that important."  
  
"No, it really is," Paige insisted. "I promise, I'll be at the club in no less than half an hour."  
  
"Half an hour?"  
  
"Half an hour," Paige promised, crossing her fingers over her heart. She smiled as Spinner handed her the car keys. "Thank you sweetpea." She kissed him on the cheek and left the church.  
  
Paige had a mission, and she had very little time to accomplish it. One person had been missing during the rehearsal: Spinner's father. As much as he tried to deny it, Paige knew it was bothering Spinner more than he would let on. Halfway through the rehearsal, Paige knew what she had to do.  
  
And now here she was, standing on the Masons' front doorstep. And she was scared. She had no idea how Mr. Mason was going to react when he saw her.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Paige forced herself to ring the doorbell. A few seconds later, Mr. Mason appeared. "Paige."  
  
"Mr. Mason, I'm sorry to show up unannounced but you know why I'm here. Please, just listen to what I have to say and then, if you want, I'll go and we'll forget I was even here."  
  
Mr. Mason looked at her a moment. "I'm listening," he said finally. He let her into the front hallway.  
  
"Okay. Mr. Mason, I know your feelings about the wedding. I know you still think we're too young and I know you don't think we know what we're doing. And I know you still blame me for Spi-Gavin's accident." She paused. "But here's the reality. Regardless of how you feel, the wedding is still happening tomorrow. And I know you need someone to blame for the accident, because I need to blame someone too. But I'm not the one responsible," she said softly. "The driver of the other vehicle, the one that was drunk, he's the one who was responsible. I know that I can't possibly comprehend how you suffered after the accident, but I can compare it to how I felt. And I would never wish that on anyone." Paige swallowed hard. "I love your son Mr. Mason. You know that. You can't tell me you don't see how I look at him, or how he looks at me, or hear the love in our voices when we talk to each other." She looked Mr. Mason directly in the eye. "You have to believe me when I say that I would never do anything to intentionally hurt Spinner. Believe me when I say I'm going to spend the rest of my life doing everything in my ability to make him happy."  
  
"It took a lot for you to come over here and say all this to me, didn't it?" Mr. Mason asked, after a moment's silence. Paige only nodded. "And what do you want from me?"   
  
Paige smiled. "I want you to come to the party with me tonight, and I want you at the wedding tomorrow," she said softly. "But most importantly, I want you to appreciate what Spinner and I have together and be happy for us."  
  
"That's asking a lot young lady."  
  
"Well, I don't do things simply most of the time," she said smiling.  
  
Mr. Mason smiled back at her and shook his head. "Give me ten minutes to change my clothes," he said.  
  
Paige threw her arms around him in a big bear hug and hugged tightly. "Thank you so much!" she said, before letting him go upstairs to change.  
  
True to her word, Paige made it back to the club within half an hour.   
  
"Where were you?" Spinner asked. "People have been wondering and I didn't know what to tell them. Especially your mom."  
  
Paige laughed. "I told you, something was missing from the rehearsal and I needed to get it. Well actually, someone."   
  
"Who?"  
  
"Me."  
  
Spinner looked at his father in disbelief. "You're the last person I thought I'd see here," he said.  
  
"Yes well, I had no intention of being here. But this girlfriend of yours is extremely persuasive."  
  
Paige slipped away so the 2 of them could talk and went over to see Hazel and Ashley.  
  
A few minutes later Spinner came over and pulled her away. "Thank you," he said, wrapping his arms around her.  
  
"You're welcome," she said, hugging him back. "Everything's okay?"  
  
Spinner nodded. "Everything is perfect now."  
  
After dinner the DJ started playing music and Paige convinced Spinner that they needed practice in dancing for tomorrow night.  
  
"Spin! I thought this was the song we were having our first dance to," Paige said as the song started. "We can't dance to this now, it's bad luck!"  
  
Spinner shook his head. "Nope, I told them to play this song tonight, I found a much better song for tomorrow night, I promise."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"That, Hon, is a surprise. Just trust me." He pulled her closer. "Are you scared?"  
  
"To marry you?" he nodded. "Not at all," she said honestly. "Are you?"  
  
"Not one bit."   
  
"Good." Paige rested her head on his shoulder. She smiled as Spinner sang along with the song. They had first danced to this song way back in junior high, it was a staple song of every high school dance, and it had seemed perfect, she was wondering what song Spinner could possibly have found to fit better than this one.  
  
"You're my survival, you're my living proof, my love is alive, and not dead. And tell me that we belong together, dress it up with the trappings of love, I'll be captivated, I'll hang from your lips, instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above."  
  
After the song, and a few songs more, Paige and Spinner thanked everyone for coming and for all their help in planning the wedding and everyone began to leave.  
  
Paige and Spinner shared a short, but sweet good-bye and Paige headed home with her parents and Spinner went back to the apartment alone.   
  
And in their separate cars, on their way to separate beds, the same thought was running through both their heads.  
  
Were they both ready for what was going to happen tomorrow?  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Yeah, I struggled with this chapter, and I don't know how happy I am with how it turned out. Review and let me know what you think! The next chapter is going to be the last one, and it should be posted either sometime tonight or sometime tomorrow night. Just a bit of a preview, do you think we've seen the last of JT?   
  
Hehe, and wow, I'm surprised I could write a song into this chapter that wasn't a John Mayer one...  
  
The song mentioned though, was I'll Be by Edwin McCain. I don't own it. It's on the CD Misguided Roses. 


	20. Back to You

Paige woke up to the sound of her cell phone ringing. She groaned and felt around for the phone. "Hello?" she croaked into the phone.  
  
"Good morning Michalchuk!" the voice on the other end was bright and cheerful.  
  
"Spin?" Paige looked at the clock. "Why are you so damn cheerful at 9 in the morning? And why are you calling me?"  
  
"Hmm. Honey, do you remember what today is?"  
  
Paige looked around, her eyes finally resting on the wedding dress that was hanging on the closet door. "Oh right." She smiled. "You're not calling to tell me that you've decided to call this off have you?"  
  
"No, but I did have a question for you. Remember how we decided to write our own vows?"  
  
"Yes, I remember that it was your idea."  
  
"Right. Well, I've been thinking. What if we went with the traditional vows instead? That would be nice, wouldn't it?"  
  
Paige sat up in bed. "You haven't started writing your vows yet, have you?" she asked.  
  
"I started to, but I'm not very good at it," Spinner said. "I can't think of the right things to say."  
  
"Well maybe if you hadn't waited until the last minute!" Paige's voice started to rise, but she caught herself and remained calm. "Honey, whatever you say is going to be perfect."  
  
Spinner laughed. "I'm just joking. I had my vows written about 2 weeks ago, I just wanted to get in one last teasing before the wedding."  
  
"You're impossible," Paige said laughing. "So how did you sleep last night?"  
  
"Not very well. I was lonely, and I kept thinking about today. Is it weird that I'm not very nervous?"  
  
Paige smiled. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm not that nervous either," she said. She looked at the clock again. "But honey, I need to go. I have my hair appointment and everything else and I can't believe my mom hasn't barged in here yet this morning."  
  
"Yeah, I need to get going to." Spinner cleared his throat. "I love you Paige."  
  
"I love you too, bye." Paige put the phone down and wrapped her bathrobe around her and headed down the stairs to start getting ready.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Paige stood in front of the mirror, looking at herself. Only now, standing in the church, in her wedding gown and veil, did she feel nervous. And scared to death.  
  
She shook off the feelings and leaned forward to reapply her lipstick. There was a knock at the door. Expecting her Mom, she called "come in".  
  
The door opened and Paige dropped her lipstick. "What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here."  
  
JT stood in the doorway, frozen in spot by how beautiful Paige looked. "I'm sorry, I needed to see you."  
  
"No. JT, if Spinner sees you here, he'll flip. He will kill you if he knows you're here."   
  
JT held up his hand and shut the door behind him. "I just talked to Spinner. He was the one who told me where I could find you."  
  
"Oh." Paige relaxed slightly. "It's good to see you again JY," she said finally.  
  
"Yeah, same here." He gestured for her to sit down on one of the chairs and sat next to her. "Paige, I owe you an apology," he said.  
  
She shook her head. "No, you don't. It's okay."  
  
"No, I do." JT paused. "Paige, I am sorry. I don't know if you can believe that or not, but I am. What I did to you and how I behaved was inexcusable. I know now that you and I would never have worked out, and while yeah, I still sometimes wish things were different, I still want you to be happy, and if being with Spinner is what makes you happy, then I have to accept that." He grinned. "I know I've said all of this to you before, but this time I really do mean it. I miss hanging out with you Paige. We got to be really good friends when you moved back home, and if I had to spend the rest of my time avoiding being places where you and Spinner were going to be, then that would make me sad."  
  
Paige laughed. "I don't want that either," she said. She looked at JT and smiled. "Will you stay for the wedding?" she asked.  
  
JT nodded. "I was talking to Spinner earlier, and I apologized to him for what I did and he said everything was cool and asked if I would stay, and I told him I would if you were okay with it."  
  
"Good." She leaned over and hugged him. "Thank you JT," she said softly. She kissed her fingertips and pressed them to his cheek and smiled. "You better get going, it's almost time to start."  
  
"I'll see you out there." JT paused in the doorway again. "By the way Paige? You look beautiful." He closed the door behind him.  
  
Paige turned to the mirror again. Her veil was crooked. As she was trying to fix it, her mom came in.  
  
Here, let me." She gently rearranged the veil and adjusted her hair. "Perfect Paige. Absolutely perfect."  
  
Paige looked at her mom and saw the tears glistening in her eyes. "No crying mom," she admonished. "If you cry, I'm going to cry, and I don't think this mascara is waterproof."  
  
"I'm sorry," Mrs. Michalchuk dabbed at her eyes with the tissue she was holding. She took a deep breath and smiled. "Are you ready?" she asked.  
  
Paige nodded. "Yes." And then she shook her head. "No."  
  
Mrs. Michalchuk laughed and hugged her daughter. "Jitters finally got to you I see," she said. "Don't worry. As soon as you see Spinner standing up there, you'll be fine," she promised.  
  
Paige nodded. "Let's do this," she said, hugging her mom once more. Out in the vestibule, they met up with Mr. Michalchuk.  
  
As soon as he saw Paige his eyes softened and he smiled. Mrs. Michalchuk was ushered to her seat at the front of the church.  
  
"Sweetheart, you look beautiful," Mr. Michalchuk said. And before he could say anymore, the music started.   
  
Hazel, Ashley, Terri, and Kendra, all dressed in pale pink, took their places and walked down the aisle.  
  
As Paige and her father were about to follow them, Mr. Michalchuk stopped Paige and looked her in the eye.   
  
"Now Paige, I'm asking you one last time. Are you sure you want to do this?"  
  
Paige took a deep breath and nodded. "Absolutely," she said.  
  
"All right then. Are you ready?"  
  
The 4-piece orchestra began playing the song Paige had picked, Pachabel's Canon in D, and everyone in the church rose to their feet.  
  
Immediately, Paige looked to the front of the church and her eyes locked with Spinner's. He smiled at her, and she smiled back, instantly calmed down. She and her father walked down the aisle Mr. Michalchuk handed her hand over to Spinner, kissed her on the cheek, and took his place next to his wife.  
  
The ceremony began, but Paige barely heard any of it. Before she knew it, the priest was asking them to recite their vows.  
  
Paige went first. Taking a deep breath, she looked up into Spinner's eyes and smiled before speaking.  
  
"If I was to stand here and tell you that I never thought we'd be standing here together, I'd be lying," she began. "Because the truth is, from the time we started dating, to the time we were apart, and up until now, I've always known we'd end up together. I've always known that we belong together, and now I'm lucky enough to have this chance to show you just how much. We've shared some hard times together, there's no denying that, but all the wonderful times we've spent together far outnumber those few bad ones." Her voice started to crack, and she swallowed, smiling up at him through the tears in her eyes. "I love you Spinner. I always have, I always will. I promise to do everything in my capacity to make you happy, keep you happy, and spend every moment we have together showing you just how much you mean to me." She squeezed his hand and he squeezed back.  
  
Spinner cleared his throat and began. "I think we've both always known that one day we'd be standing here together, and I think that this is exactly how we've both pictured it too. Paige, I've never thought I deserved you, but standing here, with you, I finally see that I do. We belong together, and while sometimes, it's been difficult, we've always managed to believe in each other, and in us. I never thought I'd love anyone quite like this, but loving you the way I do, I know I won't ever stop. And I promise you, that I'm going to take each and every day that we are together to prove to you just how happy you make me, and I'm going to do everything I can to keep you safe, happy, and content."  
  
They exchanged rings and looked expectantly at the priest, who pronounced them married. And then, the words every bride dreams of.  
  
"Ladies and gentleman, I now introduce to you, the new Mr. and Mrs. Gavin and Paige Mason. Gavin, you may kiss your bride."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Okay okay okay, wait!" Spinner said, blocking the entrance of the Plaza Hotel's ballroom.  
  
"Spinner!" Paige protested. "It's our party, we do need to get in there sooner or later, you know!"  
  
He leaned down and kissed her. "I know, but I have to make sure the DJ's ready to announce our first dance and that the song is ready and everything. Wait here."  
  
Paige sighed and waited until Spinner came back. "Okay?" she asked.  
  
"All right." He swung the doors opened, and led her into the ballroom. Amidst the applause, the DJ announced them and their song started.  
  
Paige smiled brightly as Spinner pulled her onto the dance floor. "I can't believe you!" she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.  
  
Spinner shrugged and kissed her once more, "You said it yourself, Mrs. Mason. We always found our way back to each other. And besides, what good would our wedding day be without a little John Mayer?"  
  
Paige leaned up and kissed him, laughing and crying at the same time. "I love you," she said.  
  
"I love you too Babe." He grinned. "So what do you think is next for us?" he asked.  
  
Paige smiled, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "I think I have an idea," she said teasingly.  
  
"Oh really? Care to tell me?"  
  
Paige stood on her tiptoes so her lips were right next to his ear. "Congratulations Daddy," she whispered.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Back to you  
  
It always comes around  
  
Back to you  
  
I tried to forget you  
  
I tried to stay away  
  
But it's too late   
  
Over you  
  
I'm never over  
  
Over you  
  
Something about you  
  
It's just the way you move  
  
The way you move me   
  
I'm so good at forgetting  
  
And I quit every game I play  
  
But forgive me, love  
  
I can't turn and walk away, this way  
  
Back to you  
  
It always comes around  
  
Back to you  
  
I walk with your shadow  
  
I'm sleeping in my bed  
  
With your silhouette   
  
You should have smiled in that picture  
  
If it's the last that I'll see of you  
  
It's the least that you  
  
Could not do   
  
Leave the light on  
  
I'll never give up on you  
  
Leave the light on  
  
For me too   
  
Back to me  
  
I know that it comes  
  
Back to me  
  
Doesn't it scare you  
  
Your will is not as strong  
  
As it used to be  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Back To You is by John Mayer, and is on the CD Room For Squares. 


	21. Epilogue

All right everyone, that's it. That's the end. I know, I know, I left the ending totally open to a third installment of this story, but as of right now, I have no such thing planned. But who knows, I might be inspired later on down the line to continue with it.  
  
To everyone that read this story ~ Thank you all for staying with it, reviewing it, and being so positive about it! You all deserve gold stars for putting up with my John Mayer obsession as well!  
  
Thanks again and I hope you all enjoy the next story just as much!  
  
~*Nicole*~ 


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